A Life of His Own
by The Rival
Summary: I changed the title. I think the new one is considerably better. This chapter isn't yet finished, so I will update it when it is. For now, enjoy this!
1. Edspark Dollarsign

TEARS OF ED'S RECALL

Eds fic! YEAH!!! I've been working mostly on this lately, so I hope it's good. I'll keep my day job though. Well, I would if I had one. ^^ But be patient. It will be kinda lame for a little while, but it will get better. Much better. It's all about remembering your past and being able to wait for the future and accept it when it arrives. If I get flames, I'll eat them, but they will burn my tongue. A quick note though, I don't own anyone from Ed Edd n Eddy but I do own da ppl who aren't on the show. Thank u. Oh yeah, review if u can. Enjoy! : )

Lennon Karma

Chapter 1

Edspark Dollarsign

hildhood is a chance to absorb the simplicity of the world. But it transforms into adulthood in the blink of an eye; you can close your eye as a child, and open it to see your adult world. Adolescence is the fastest of all. As it takes place, the hours and minutes drag by, but in retrospect, it has flown. It is the same under most conditions. For a captive, moments last an eternity, but to those who are free, a moment lasts only a moment. The short span of adolescence came too soon for three young souls, three young Eds. Two were satisfied to let it reach them in its own time, but the other urged it to come sooner. As the three imagined what would come for them in the years ahead, they were moving from childhood's safe and comforting arms to a time when the doors opened to adulthood; when their lives lay ahead, and every path led home.

A stony silence consumed the once energetic group. The Eds sat together in a quiet tension, looking back with disgust on the past few hours. This day had been no different from any other. A complete failure. Eddy sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor. Why did all of his plans end up this way? Nothing ever seemed to work out. Ed and Double-D seemed to share the same feeling. After a day of frantic work and planning, it was now common knowledge that Eddy's brother was not coming home. Resting his chin on his hand, Eddy sighed. "I was so sure that would work. But they found us out again. Just like always." 

"Never mind, Eddy." Coaxed Double-D. "It's not like that scam would have brought any money anyway."

"That's not the point! If my brother had come home, we wouldn't be sitting here like losers! We'd be living the life."

"He might have just ignored us. Most of the time, he doesn't even notice we exist."

As Eddy lashed back at Double-D, defending his brother, Ed winced. He hated it when his friends fought. But what could he do? Not much, as every time he tried to solve the problem, he just made it worse. But fighting had always been stressful for him. Ed swallowed hard and covered his ears in an effort to suppress the urge to yell at them to stop. 

Eddy stared wistfully at the mirror ball on his ceiling. "I wish we were older."

"What are you talking about?" asked Double-D.

"Older! My brother's in high school and people respect him. Maybe when we're in high school"

"But everyone else would be in high school as well! With the exception of Sarah and Jimmy of course."

Eddy remained unconvinced that older did not equal better. Ed and Double-D were just as happy in middle school, but Eddy wanted more. He awaited the day he and his long-time friends would be "the high school guys" with impatience

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

The sun was setting, sending an array of shifting colors across the sky, saffron yellow, to blood-streaked orange, to crimson red. The first summer afternoon was always a quiet one; but every afternoon that followed was bustling with kids celebrating their freedom from the classroom. The cul-de-sac was no exception. Now that it was evening, darkness had come and brought anticipation along with it. Excitement had built up in preparation for how the first day of summer vacation would be spent, and what the following year would bring.

Becoming a high school kid had always been a distant dream, something everyone in the cul-de-sac looked forward to. It approached faster than they knew, but until high school was actually upon them, it was like waiting for Christmas to come. Until this summer. The freshman year was over for them, and they had a whole year of accomplishments and failures to look back on. They also had another summer on hand until they went back again.

Eddy picked up the phone in the kitchen, hoping his dad wouldn't catch him. He wasn't allowed to be on the phone after 10:00 at night, and the clock was already showing 10:38. Still, Eddy bravely continued and dialed the familiar number that belonged to Double-D . The phone rang, and Eddy heard someone pick up the phone. He was determined to keep his voice a whisper; he had only just been freed from being grounded, and he didn't want to be grounded again. 

"Hello?"

Eddy: "Is Edward there?"

Double-D: "Eddy, I'm not really supposed to be on the phone this late."

Eddy: "That's okay, neither am I."

Double-D: *sigh*

Eddy: "Soare you ready for tomorrow?"

Double-D: "I guess so. How about you?"

Eddy: "Yeah. Since you and Ed will be there. It will be just like every other year but better! Another summer of scams And we are now high school guys! Think of the cash" 

Double-D: "But everyone else is in high school also. Except for Sarah and Jimmy. The classes weren't hard. Next year should be uncomplicated as well."

Eddy: "For you! My brother told me the sophomore math teacher is tough."

Double-D: "Your brother thinks every teacher is tough." 

Eddy: "Yeah, but he might be right this time."

Double-D: "I doubt it. Eddy, I gotta go."

Eddy: "I better go too. See you tomorrow."

Double-D: "Bye." 

Eddy didn't even say goodbye to Double-D; he didn't need to. Every year after the last day of school had ended; the Eds would call each other over the phone. No reason, just because. Eddy had tried to call Ed earlier in the evening, but he wasn't home. He had said something about Sarah graduating from middle school, so he was probably just at her ceremony. Eddy considered calling Ed now because he would certainly be home, then doubted if it would be worth it. When he called Ed during the day, Ed would babble on about nothing, but at night, he rarely spoke. Deciding it was definitely not worth it, Eddy turned on his heel and left the kitchen door, slumped over, actually ready to sleep.

He had been waiting impatiently for his freshman year to end. The chant of, "Freshmen! Freshmen!" had been wearing on his nerves, even though Eddy was not about to let some older guys boss him around. What he _really_ wanted was for his senior year to start. By then, Sarah and Jimmy would be freshmen. So many scams, only 180 days But that was a long way off. Eddy couldn't even remember why he was thinking about that anyway, when he hadn't even thought about the first day of this summer yet. That was next on his list. 

Each step to his room was agony. He hoped he would make it to the top, but he wasn't sure if he would or not. So tired. And his parents were already in their room. If they heard him, they might find out he was on the phone. Or worse, picking up where his brother left off but no. They had to know he wasn't like his brother. But they didn't seem to. Eddy shook his fist at the floor. The quieter he tried to be, the louder the floor creaked. His knees were just as bad. Every movement of a knee was followed by a muffled crack.

As soon as Eddy passed through the door to his room, he mindlessly kicked several magazines aside, and fell forward onto his bed. He kicked his shoes off, stretched, and pulled the cord of his lava lamp, turning it on. The green goo inside it would take awhile to start moving, but he didn't want to bother to leave it on that long anyway. Eddy liked his room for the most part. All his things were at his fingertips, and he didn't have to hunt through his entire house to find what he was looking for like Ed always did. When Eddy complained about lost things always being in the last place he looked, Ed told Eddy that nothing was ever in the last place he looked. Eddy was curious to find out how messy, disorganized Ed could always locate his things. Ed smiled and answered, "Oh, nothing is in the last place I look 'cuz I keep looking after I find it." Eddy chuckled at the memory. What did he expect from Ed? 

Eddy wandered over in the direction of the record player and popped an old Tom Jones record onto the player. He bobbed his head and danced across the room in the dim light by his lava lamp, slowly removing his shirt. After a few moments of fighting with the buttons, he stood still to unfasten them. Then he pulled the shirt off over his head and threw it in the direction of the closet. He kept dancing to the fast-paced song, all the while wishing he had a girl to dance with him but he quickly shoved that out of his head. There were no girls in his future. With the luck he had had with girls over the years, he wondered if he would ever have a girlfriend.

Nazz was out of his league, plain and simple. He had been lusting after her for years. She was so much more than just the girl next door. Well, the girl down the street. Kevin was her unofficial boyfriend, and the two had been dating on and off for years. Sarah was never part of Eddy's consideration. To him, she hardly even counted as a girl. Not that anyone had ever been *interested* in her anyway. She had gone after Double-D several times, but seemed to have given up pursuing him years earlier. And the Kankers that was experience, but not the kind he wanted. The memory of Lee Kanker kissing him was enough to make him want to forget girls entirely. But still, he couldn't.

The record stopped playing, and Eddy looked at the clock, seeing that it was now after 11. He let his eyes close halfway as he waded through his possessions until he reached his bed. Slowly, he turned and sat, pulling off each of his socks, and throwing them over near his shirt. After the dancing, he was too tired to want to move. Eddy dragged his legs unwillingly onto the bed and crawled up to the pillow-end of his bed. He turned off his lamp, which was bubbling now, and got into bed in complete darkness. Whatever tomorrow brought, he would be ready for it. Or so he thought

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Eddy's consciousness slowly came back to him when he felt a sharp beam of light pouring straight into his eye. Waking up the first day of summer vacation was the best part of his whole year. He rolled over away from the sun and looked at the clock. Eight-thirty? That was early for him. During the summer, he was rarely up before 10. But it was clear and bright, and several blurry figures were moving around in the cul-de-sac. Double-D had to be up already, and Ed may never have even gone to bed. That was a problem Eddy had found with inviting Ed over; he would just wander around until he was too tired to go anymore and just fell asleep wherever he happened to be at the time. 

Rays of sun poured through the glass doors of Eddy's room. Rather than go across his entire house, Eddy typically went out through these doors and cut across the neighbor's yard to Ed's house or wherever he happened to be going. Too many times he had been shouted at by his neighbor for doing this, but it didn't stop him from doing it again the next time. Eddy decided that he would be civil today and go around the lawn instead of through it. After all, it was the first day of summer, so he was feeling gracious. Eddy played another record as he hunted for another pair of jeans. Finding them, he jumped into them, threw a shirt over his head, and danced around the room, watching light reflect and flicker off the spinning mirror ball on his ceiling. 

Grabbing a pretend microphone, Eddy leaned over forward, mouthing the song's lyrics. He could see himself onstage, surrounded by an audience full of screaming fans. Cameras flashed, girls marveled at how gorgeous he was, Ed stared at him from the window Ed? Eddy plummeted quickly back to Earth from his fantasy world to see Ed's face pressed up against the glass panels. Ed's face was plastered with the mindless smile that was always there, and his raised hand waved back and forth robotically, like a windshield wiper. Eddy scowled at Ed. "Ed! What the fuck are you doing? How long have you been there?"

Ed's hand kept moving and his expression didn't change. Calming down a little, Eddy opened the door. Ed looked as if he would fall on his face with the door gone, but kept smiling and waving. After a few more moments of this, Ed turned his head in Eddy's direction. "Hi, Eddy!"

Eddy kept looking at Ed. Double-D had once said that eye contact helps when speaking to someone like Ed. "Ed, what are you doing?" Eddy repeated slowly. 

Ed put a finger to his mouth and stared off into space. "I forget. But you looked funny!" Ed stood up straight and laughed his usual laugh.

That was more than Eddy wanted to hear. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Ed stopped laughing and demonstrated, "You looked like this!" Both of his large hands clasped around his own invisible microphone, and he bent all the way over forward. Then he stood up, winked a couple of times at no one in particular, and continued repeating Eddy's performance in exaggerated slow-motion. Finally, Eddy grabbed Ed by the wrist, and silently dragged him across the street to Double-D's. "Uh, Eddy, are you mad at me?" Ed asked, with a touch of guilt in his voice. Eddy was still pissed at Ed for spying on him, but Ed's stupidly innocent expression always won his forgiveness. 

Releasing Ed's wrist, he responded, "No, Ed." Ed grinned, wrapping his arms around himself. Crap, thought Eddy, what is it about that look? Eddy knocked on Double-D's door, and waited for an answer. Nothing. He knocked again, a little louder, and still nothing. 

"Can I ring the doorbell?" begged Ed. "Please Eddy? Oh come on!" 

Eddy scowled again. "No! Once you start, you can't stop. We'll just go around back." They maneuvered around the side of Double-D's house, and appeared in the backyard. Eddy was heading in the direction of the screen door, but Ed pointed at a bush. 

"Eddy, look." He whispered, pointing. Something red was behind it. Ed and Eddy approached it, to find Double-D with a jar in his hand. 

"Hey, Double-D." said Eddy casually. 

Double-D jerked his head up, then looked over his shoulder to see Ed and Eddy. "Oh, hello Eddy." He answered. "I'm surprised to see you up this early." Double-D stood, displaying his jar. Inside was a large grasshopper, clinging to the side of the jar. Ed moved in for a closer look. 

"I have seen this before, Double-D. It only has a thousand eyes for me." 

"Grasshoppers only have three eyes, Ed." Double-D said, correcting him. Double-D squeezed past Ed and Eddy and back across the yard to his house. The other two Eds followed him to the garage, and watched him put the jar on a shelf, amidst many others. Satisfied, Double-D turned around and stood with his longtime friends. At last, the band was back together.

This was a yearly tradition: the Eds would meet up and spend the first day of summer just enjoying the freedom from school and trying to get a little cash, too. Not many people were even out yet, Kevin had completed several laps around the cul-de-sac on his bike and Rolf was feeding his chickens. No one else had made an appearance yet. Eddy crossed his arms impatiently. "Two people! What can we do when there's only two people around?" 

"Patience, Eddy. They're certain to come out soon." Double-D justified, hopefully. 

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Even Double-D didn't have an answer for that. The cul-de-sac was silent except for the Rolf's chickens, and the sound of Kevin's bike as he shot by. 

"Movie?" Ed offered. "We could watch 'Mutant Zombies from Planet Xop'!" 

Eddy and Double-D considered. This movie didn't sound like one they had seen more than four times, and it would keep them busy until the other kids showed up. "Sure, why not?" Eddy agreed, finally. The Eds trekked across the cul-de-sac, steering clear of Kevin, and finally reached Ed's house. Ed flung the front door open, and it slammed against the outside of the house. "Ed, was that loud enough?" 

"Sure was, Eddy." Ed nodded. Eddy and Double-D passed Ed and stood in the living room. From where they stood, they could see Sarah sitting on the couch watching t.v., but she could not see them. Not that she would have paid much attention if they stood in front of her, anyway. She was half asleep. Ed came galloping in from where he had been by the door. "I shut - - -!" he began, but Eddy had cupped a hand over his mouth. 

"Do you want Sarah after you?" Eddy whispered to Ed through clenched teeth. 

"Uhno. But I shut the door." 

Double-D rolled his eyes, and opened the door to the basement stairs. "Shall we go?" The Eds agreed in silence, each making a beeline for the basement. At the bottom of the stairs, they opened the door to Ed's grungy basement room. His bed was unmade, like always, and the floor was littered with a mixture of garbage and his belongings. For Eddy and Double-D, it was hard to tell which was which. Double-D frowned at the sight of a moldy piece of toast on the floor. "Ed! That is _still_ there? It was there that time we played truth or dare!"

"And when was that, like two years ago?" Eddy snickered, nudging the toast with his foot.

"That is my toast! Get your own!" Ed called to Eddy. Ed picked up the toast and moved it to a shelf by his bed to ad mire it. When he was finished, he opened a cabinet of movies and searched for 'Mutant Zombies from Planet Xop.' The tapes were not in their cases, and none were labeled, so a pile of tapes was created in an attempt to find the right one. 

After several minutes of waiting, Double-D finally suggested, "Ed, if you can't locate that one, why not just choose a different one?" Ed's face fell, and he looked despondently at the tapes. He didn't want another tape; he wanted Xop. But considering that the hope of finding it anytime soon was small as it was, he consented and gave up the search. But he wouldn't be happy about it. There was one movie he wanted, and he couldn't find it. He had always been plagued by problems like this. Years ago, he could remember wanting to watch a movie marathon, but the upstairs t.v. didn't have that channel and Sarah hogged the basement t.v. He did get to watch his movies eventually, but not before he was put through more than he wanted to be. Or worse, the day he found out he couldn't see "Robot Rebel Ranch" because he wasn't old enough. And now this. He just hadn't had much luck with movies.

Scowling grimly, Ed grabbed the top tape and thrust it into the video player. Only snow appeared on the screen, and Ed stared at it. "I've seen this show already." He commented, watching it carefully. Through the scratchy crackle of the snow, a voice could be heard. It sounded familiar, but who was it? Slowly, a picture became visible on the screen. It was Ed! But younger. And sitting on a rocking horse. "Aww, look! A cute little kid!" Ed cooed at himself on the screen, completely oblivious to the laughter of his friends.

Little Ed was rocking back and forth happily, repeating the words, "Riding the pony! Riding the pony!" over and over. Eddy and Double-D were in hysterics, but Ed didn't seem to understand that it was him. After several minutes of Ed on the rocking horse, the image returned to snow, and the other two Eds' laughter ceased. 

Once he had finally regained his composure, Eddy finally managed to say, "Damn, I wanted to see the rest of that!" 

Double-D's hand was still cupped over his mouth, stifling a chuckle. "I concur! Ed, you haven't changed much over the years!"

Ed stared at the snowy screen. Then his head turned to face his friend's. "I'm concentrating on dog heaven." That was Ed all right. It didn't matter to him if no one understood his words. He was apparently in his happy place, gazing at a snowy television and 'concentrating on dog heaven.' He still wore that military green trenchcoat he had worn as long as Double-D and Eddy had known him. But his hair had grown considerably; it had extended from a simple buzz cut to the length of his ears. The copper mass fell in his eyes often, and he would bat it away. He still possessed the lazy eye that gave him the empty-headed appearance it always had, and otherwise his appearance had changed little. Although his face was splashed with a handful of new freckles and he had grown a couple inches. 

Over in the big chair, Eddy was sitting upright on the seat while Double-D was left to perch on the arm. Double-D's black sock hat was as much a part of him as it had always been. The other two Eds couldn't even remember what he looked like without it. Double-D chuckled again at Ed's devotion to the snowy television. As he opened his mouth, a glint of light was reflected back. Strands of metal crossed his teeth, in an effort to close the gap that separated the two in front. Admittedly, he would miss it, even though he had agreed to the idea of braces. The black hair that fell from the back of his cap now fell to his shoulders in smooth, straight locks. Eddy had told him that the length of it made him look like a girl, but Double-D had no intention of cutting it. 

Eddy sprawled in the seat of the chair, taking up every space that was available. The only marked change in his appearance was growth. Since his preteen days, he had grown to Double-D's height, and looked as though he would pass him. His mohawk-like hairstyle remained, and as always, he was proud of it. Adolescence had had little effect on the aura of any of these boys, so at heart, they were still who they had always been. 

At last, a large, fake-looking monster appeared on the screen. Its gaping mouth opened and it proceeded to swallow a city while people screamed in the streets. Eddy sighed. This had to be the lamest movie Ed owned. Eddy seen it before, and it could hardly be called a movie by his terms. For a while, little was said, as all three consented to watching the 'movie.' Then Double-D spoke. "So Eddy, what have you come up with? Any schemes to begin the new summer?"

Staring right through Double-D, Eddy rested his chin on his hand. "I have _something_. Nothing big, nothing special. But I see the lane. Nature walks! We take people on nature walks for 50 cents!" 

This wasn't the best idea Eddy ever had, but it wasn't the worst, either. "Not a bad idea. Shall we start?" Ed was still mesmerized by his movie. Anything moving had that effect on him. 

"Nah, we can wait until Ed's movie is over."

Another half hour of poorly animated monsters passed, and finally the movie ended. Ed turned off the VCR, and turned back to face his cronies. "Hmmm. Happy place." He cooed in a deep, contented voice. Eddy slid roughly off the chair, and landed on his feet. The chair shook, almost causing Double-D to lose his balance, but he carefully anchored himself in a sitting position. Carefully, he let a leg dangle over the side of the chair and stepped down to the floor. 

Eddy put his hands on his hips, preparing to take leadership of the group again, just as he always had. "Okay, first we need a sign."

Ed was already digging through his closet, and came up with some wood and cardboard. "How about this stuff?" 

Approaching him, Eddy planned to pick the material for his sign with the precision of an expert. He looked over each object in Ed's hands, and pointed at one. "I guess that one's okay. It's the biggest. And I want this to be **big**!"

"But Eddy, you said this idea wasn't big." Double-D pointed out.

"Sure the idea wasn't big, but that doesn't mean the SIGN shouldn't be!" Eddy laughed. "Ed, got any paint?" 

Eddy and Double-D stood shoulder to shoulder watching Ed dig through his closet. Slowly, the noise and motion stopped. "Uh yeah but it's stuck to the wall. I'll get a marker." He soon came up with several permanent markers. "Who wants to color it?" he asked, extending the fistful of markers. 

"Why don't you do it, Lumpy? You always do." Ed smiled at Eddy's words. He crouched down on his hands and knees examining the cardboard. Uncapping the red marker, he seemed to be planning carefully before letting it meet the paper. Eddy and Double-D went off on their own business leaving Ed to his work. And Ed was ready. He created thick lines on the paper, which soon formed the oversized, gaudy letters Eddy demanded. 

"We'll be back in a few, Ed. You keep working until we get back, okay?" Eddy could see his friend's head nod at his request, bobbing quickly up and down. Eddy and Double-D left for the future site of the nature walks, ambling down to the road end of the cul-de-sac. Kevin had given his bike a rest, and was now talking to Nazz. Johnny and Plank were playing one of their various made-up games, Jimmy was painting a portrait of Sarah, and Rolf was still working. "They're so unaware. I almost feel bad about trying to take their money. Almost!"

They reached the road end of the cul-de-sac, and turned the corner, veering left to the lane. "Eddy, why did we have to come all the way through the cul-de-sac just to get to the lane? Why couldn't we have just gone through the woods behind Ed's house?" 

Eddy gave Double-D a shocked glance, not remembering the taboo of the woods behind Ed's house. "Duh! Don't you think we'd be a little close to the trailer park if we were screwing around up there?" Double-D gasped slightly, seeing Eddy's point. 

"I forgot how close it was to Ed's house. You're correct. If that's the case, we can't make the trail go up there. The Kankers would see us!" 

That was something Eddy had considered. Where could he take the 'tour group' without running into the Kanker sisters? They could turn around, but what was the good of that? It would be so much better to keep going until they ended up back where they started. Another possibility would be turning right before they reached the trailer park, going across the creek, through Peach Creek Estates, and up the road until they reached the entrance of the cul-de-sac again. A definite maybe

That was a good idea. How could Double-D not come up with something like that? Giving himself a mental pat on the back, Eddy suggested the alternate route to Double-D. The brow masked by the sock hat furrowed. It could work. It would be a long way to walk, but it could work. "Yes. That could work." 

At the mouth of the lane, Eddy scoured the area for a place to put the sign. "It's gotta be somewhere good, where everyone can see it!" 

Double-D looked up high, examining the branches that arched over the stretch of road. Several feet up, a sturdy looking branch spanned the air over the lane. It could hold the sign. "There!" Double-D suggested, pointing. "No one could miss a sign there." 

Eddy looked up at the branch. It was high enough. The only problem would be getting the sign up there. "Sure, why not. Just as long as everyone can find the home of the be$t nature hikes ever!" There had to be a way to get the sign up there. Eddy knew he would never be able to climb a tree and carry a massive cardboard sign, and Double-D would be no better. But Ed would be. Ed could climb the tree and hang the sign over the branch. Or was he still afraid of heights? It didn't matter. Afraid or not, Ed would climb the tree. 

The plan was becoming increasingly real in Eddy's mind. Uniforms, nametags, the works. "Double-D, we'll need to get guide uniforms and nametags, and we'll need." 

Eddy's train of thought was halted when Double-D interrupted. "Don't you think we should see how Ed is doing with the sign first?" Eddy had almost forgotten Ed and his sign. A trip was made back to Ed's house, and Ed was still hard at work. He was crouched down on his hands and knees, his butt up in the air. The other two Eds approached him, glancing over his work. In huge red and blue letters, Ed had scrawled the words:

"ED'S NAYCHER STROLES"

The 'R' in 'NAYCHER' was made slightly smaller than the other letters because Ed had nearly run out of room. 'STROLES' had to be put on a separate line. Marker smudges covered the cardboard. It appeared as though Ed had tried to draw animals around the edge of the cardboard, but not one was identifiable. Currently, Ed was concentrating on writing "50 cents" in the bottom right corner. With a flourish, he proudly continued embellishing his work. Double-D winced at the sight of it. 

"Ed! Your spelling is incorrect." Ed stopped what he was doing and turned his head to reveal a face smeared with marker. 

"I did it myself!" Ed declared, grinning broadly. Double-D could remember Ed as being the type of kid who just didn't bother to obey the rules of spelling. Spelling was a very creative thing, but Ed was far more creative the day he spelled "faishul." What did it matter? Even though it wasn't right, it was large and noticeable. Plus, anyone reading it could sound it out and figure out what it meant.

Double-D strung ribbon through two hole punched in the top of the sign, and Eddy finished making nametags. Once these tasks were complete, Eddy cautiously stepped up to the door of Ed's closet, taking a deep breath. He flung the doors open, and discovered a huge pile of clothes, food, toys, and everything else Ed owned all thrown together. After Eddy had spent several minutes rooting though the pile, Double-D spoke. "Eddy, do we really need uniforms? Can't we just be guides in our regular clothes?" 

Eddy didn't think so. He scowled at Double-D and kept looking. "I don't see _you_ looking through Hell's Closet, Sockhead." Eddy muttered under his breath. 

At that moment, Ed returned from his trip to the bathroom. He had had only minimal success in removing the permanent marker from his skin. But it was faded enough to not jump out at anyone who looked at him. He was well enough satisfied with his progress, and came out to find Eddy looking through his closet. "Eddy! That's my stuff!"

"Relax, Ed, I just want to"

"Mine!"

"Ed, I believe Eddy simply wants to find us proper uniforms."

Ed paused. "Uh" He looked into his closet, tossed a few objects aside, and came up with some faded things. "I am a brave soldier!" said Ed, saluting. Eddy took one of the things and unrolled it. Camouflage! Dilapidated and pale with so many washings, the pattern had faded to sea greens and sandy creams. Still, it looked like camouflage. And its pallor gave it the authentic, worn in look. 

"Precisely what we were after!" Double-D exclaimed. Looking past Ed's head, Double-D caught view of the timer on the VCR. "Ed, is it really 12 o'clock, or did you forget to set the time?"

Eddy squinted at the numbers. "It's not blinking. It must be twelve. Lunch?"

"Certainly." Double-D agreed.

"I'm a happy camper!" Ed cheered, following the other Eds upstairs to find something for lunch.

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Sarah and Jimmy were in the kitchen, standing at the kitchen counter. They were looking at something colorful, which had to be Jimmy's portrait of Sarah. Eddy sidled over, hoping to be able to give it some "constructive criticism." At least that's how he defined it. Eddy looked over Jimmy's shoulder, examining the work. To his dismay, it was an elegant watercolor, not at all poorly done for a ten-year-old. Sarah seemed to sense Eddy's presence behind her. Slowly, she turned around to face him. Although Eddy was bigger, stronger, and older than Sarah, there was something about her that gave her a menacing pretense. Maybe it was her temper. "Eddy," she began in the sugar-coated voice she often used when speaking to Ed, "_Get out of my kitchen!"_

"Fuck you, Sarah, we're just getting some food. It's Ed's kitchen, too." Eddy's coolness was not taken well. Sarah's face reddened, and her two hard fists tightened.

This was the only thing Jimmy didn't like about Sarah, the way she was so prone to anger. "Sarah, try closing your eyes and counting to ten." The strategy wasn't designed to let Sarah cool off. Its main purpose was to give Jimmy time to plead with the Eds to get out of the kitchen. More than ever before, Ed had become a thorn in Sarah's side, and his presence alone was enough to set her off. 

"Have mercy, sister of the damned! We will leave! Just let me find something from the fridge." Ed quickly opened the refrigerator door. "Hello light." He said as he grabbed some food and soda. Then shut the door, "Bye bye, light." He whispered again. The posse of three retreated to the basement to eat, preparing to unleash their first scam of the summer.

The Eds sat on the steps leading down from Ed's back porch and ate what Ed had managed to get out of the fridge. "Stupid Sarah." Eddy muttered, chomping on his apple. 

"Eddy, it's not that bad. We could go to my residence for more food if you'd like." Double-D put in, trying to calm Eddy's anger. 

Eddy's teeth were gritted, showing that he was not about to just forget it so easily. "It's not about the damn food!" Eddy went on, ranting again. "Ed's ten-year-old sister can boss us around and send us out of the kitchen! How can we call ourselves high school guys when _middle schoolers_ can tell us what to do?"

"Pass the ketchup." Ed's feeble attempt to change the subject went unnoticed by Eddy.

"We gotta do something to prove that we're not kids anymore." 

Double-D's quizzical expression met with Eddy's scornful one. "But we are still children. We're fifteen. Well, Ed is sixteen." 

Ed ran his sweaty fingers through his hair. "That means I can go to see whatever movies I want!"

Double-D shook his head. "No, Ed. You have to wait another year before you can do that. But you will get your driver's license if you pass the test."

"Aw, Double-D, who cares about that? I want to see movies."

That was long enough for Eddy to be tired of listening to Ed and Double-D talk about cars and movies. That wasn't the point of the conversation. When it looked as if Double-D was about to open his mouth again, Eddy interrupted. "Hey, forget that!"

"There's no need to yell."

"Double-D, just zip it. What are we missing? What do all cool high school guys have that we don't?"

"Guitars?" Ed had always liked watching guitar players on t.v.

"Ed" Double-D sounded more than a little shocked. "That's a good idea. An excellent idea."

"Hello, what happened to being respected?" Eddy had had enough of his friends' short attention spans. "I don't know why I even bothered asking. I should talk to my brother." 

"But Eddy, Ed has given me an idea!" Double-D exclaimed, as if it determined the fate of the world.

"An idea? From Ed? Ooh, I don't know how I'll contain myself!" Eddy smirked in a mocking tone.

"Guitars!!!" Ed said again, louder this time, and strumming violently at an invisible instrument.

"Precisely, Ed. What he indicates here is that we should start a band!"

Eddy seemed to almost consider it. Then his face became serious again. "Hey, what happened to the nature walks? We were working on that all morning!"

"Well, maybe half an hour this morning." Double-D corrected.

"That doesn't matter! It's what we were doing before and we should stick with it!"

"Guitar for Ed!" yelled Ed again, jumping up and strumming again at his invisible instrument. His coppery hair shook fluidly from side to side. 

"Eddy, we could simply do the nature walks now and form a band later."

A thoughtful expression formed on Eddy's face. "Maybe you're right again, Sockhead." Double-D smiled, recalling his old namesake. 

"Of course. Prepared to enter the nature walk business, gentlemen?" 

"Nature walks! Look, it's a birdy!" Ed exclaimed, flapping his arms. Eddy nodded and stood up, stretching his arms to their full extent. The Eds marched off to the lane for the grand opening of "Ed's Naycher Stroles." 

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"Nature Strolls! Only 50 cents a walk! Let us, the Eds, be your guides to the world of nature!" Eddy called, cupping his hands to his mouth. Surely everyone in the cul-de-sac could hear him.

"Mind you, we carry free sunscreen and insect repellent as well. Safety first!" Double-D called after Eddy's voice. His voice didn't carry nearly as far, so no one would have heard him, even if they had cared to.

"I am Ed, famous gecko hunter!!!" Ed declared, pointing to himself, and examining every inch of the ground nearby himself. 

Double-D raised his eyes to the heavens, pleading, "I only ask to be able to understand him for one day. That's all."

"Kroi-kee!" Ed had discovered a caterpillar inching up a tree. "Gecko."

Eddy ignored Ed's antics, saying, "It's probably just something he saw on t.v. Damn, where are they all? I know they heard me. I saw Rolf look." 

"No, that was most likely because of Ed's exclamations." Ed still watched the caterpillar with simple dedication. 

"Why did I get stuck doing this? It's your fault we're here, Double-D!" 

"How, may I ask, is it my fault? It was my suggestion to start a band!"

"You didn't stop me!" Eddy and Double-D shot comments back and forth. Ed pretended to be well absorbed by his caterpillar, or gecko, as he knew it. When really, the arguments bothered him more than his friends knew. The reason for the effect was unknown, but ever present. Each of their fights brought a nervous lump to Ed's throat, and a tightening knot to his stomach. Something had to loosen it, or he would burst.

"Ed's Naycher Stroles?" Ed was brought back to reality by the sound of a new voice, that of Kevin. "This should be good." Eddy and Double-D were too absorbed in their "conversation" to hear Kevin, but Ed was alert. 

"Hello, there. Welcome to ED'S NAYCHER STROLES!" Ed greeted Kevin with a wide grin plastered on his face.

Kevin's skin had tanned considerably over the years, and he now had such presence that he made Ed feel small, even though Ed stood several inches taller. The football jersey that Kevin wore added to the aura. Although Rolf was also on the team, it wasn't the same thing. Kevin saw it as a source of power. He was on the football team. That was his identity. He had a presence that no one else in the cul-de-sac had.

At his side was Nazz, just like always. As the verbal battle between Eddy and Double-D decelerated, Eddy had to take the time to wonder what she saw in Kevin at all. Her hair had grown a little, and came to chin length. She was giggly as always, never seeming to take anything seriously. Still, every boy in the cul-de-sac envied Kevin when he entered the high school gym for the homecoming dance with her on his arm

Curiously, she looked up at the sign, mouthing the words silently as she read them. "Come on Kev, it could be fun!" Nazz was well aware of her power over Kevin. Anything she wanted from him was hers. 

"Sure." He sighed, then turned his head quickly from the sign back to Nazz. 

Eddy rolled his eyes, whispering to Double-D, "He's whipped. My brother says if you let a girl take over your life"

Before Double-D could answer, another voice took over. "Ed's Naycher Stroles? What's that, Plank? Plank says, 'This is the stupidest thing I've seen since creek cruises.'" Double-D turned his head to find himself face to face with Plank. Johnny moved Plank aside, and continued, "I want to go! Plank's just grouchy because I made him get up early." Double-D nodded, extending a hand for Johnny's money. Johnny had changed little over the years. Plank was still his ever-present soul brother, and it looked as if that was never going to change. There was something comforting about the unchanging friendship between Johnny and Plank. 

Kevin and Nazz handed over their money as well, Eddy eagerly tossed it in the jar. Double-D approached Ed, watching him studying the caterpillar, which had now crawled onto his arm. "Ed, may I suggest you inform Rolf, Sarah, and Jimmy about this? They might wish to accompany us."

Ed looked doubtful. "I don't think Jimmy likes these." He shoved his arm into Double-D's face, displaying the furry white caterpillar. 

With a shake of his head, Double-D continued. "Maybe I should rephrase it. Tell Sarah, Jimmy, and Rolf about the nature strolls. But let me take the caterpi-- um gecko for you." Gently, Double-D removed the insect from Ed's arm, and placed it back on the tree. Ed ran back to the empty cul-de-sac, and the remaining Eds were forced to wait for his return. Ed leaned back and ran off around the corner into the cul-de-sac. 

Shortly, he returned with Rolf running after him. "This sounds better than white onions!" Rolf exclaimed, following Ed to where everyone else was standing. 

Once Ed reached Eddy and Double-D, Eddy scowled. "Ed! Where's Jimmy and Sarah?"

"Uh They couldn't come. Sarah said, 'No way, you retard.' I think maybe she's busy."

A look of sympathy for Ed formed on Double-D's face, but Eddy's only concern here was the shortage of kids. Double-D couldn't help but notice this. "Eddy, we don't need everyone's participation. In fact, it would almost certainly be easier with fewer people." 

Although it was obvious that less kids meant less cash, Eddy had to agree that there was logic behind Double-D's words. "Okay, but we better get going." Eddy stood on a nearby stone and turned to the group: Kevin, Nazz, Rolf, Johnny, and Plank. "Hey everybody! We're just about to set off on the first Nature Stroll, which will be led by Ed, Double-D, and of course, my self. So prepare to enjoy the splendor of the wilderness! Onward!"

Eddy hopped down from the stone, and marched off down the lane. Ed and Double-D followed with the group. Only Johnny seemed to have any interest in the nature walk, as the others saw the trail for what it was, the lane. Hoping to spice it up, Ed pointed out various insects, and describing their "mutant powers." 

Even Eddy himself was beginning to see the pointlessness of his scam. How had this idea even shown itself? He could easily admit to himself that this was not one of his better scams. Although money had come from it, what was the good if it wasn't any fun? 

Occasionally, Eddy would point out some "important landmark," such as the Siamese twin trees. It was really one old tree that had been split by lightning in a storm one day. Or the "rock that looks like Sarah", for which there was no explanation. Little was said for a long time, until the time had finally come to turn right and cross the creek to avoid the Kankers and the trailer park.

Eddy veered right and motioned for the crowd to follow him. Most looked bored and tired of walking, with the exception of Ed and Johnny, who were absorbed in being gecko hunters. The creek was slow and shallow here, despite being quite wide. Eddy stepped out into the water. Nazz took one look at the water and instantly wanted to turn back. "These shoes are brand new. If you think I'm walking through there" 

"Why do you refuse the water, Nazz-girl? This is far better than the water to be had in the old country." Rolf said, looking at the water. He gave Nazz a playful push in the direction of the creek. Her sharp squeal pierced the natural quiet, and everyone's hands immediately cupped over their ears. "You have wounded the ears of Rolf!" 

Kevin was tired of standing in water halfway up his calves waiting for Nazz, so in one swift movement, he picked her up. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and around his baseball cap. Eddy watched Kevin doing this, wishing more than anything that he could be Kevin. 

Johnny jumped into the water, sending it splashing over Ed and Double-D. He laughed hysterically at the new source of fun he had discovered, and at the sight of sopping wet Ed and Double-D. He kept opening his mouth to speak, but was always overtaken with a new spasm of laughter. Double-D reaching up to his head to wring the water out of his hat almost caused him to lose his balance. Finally, between chuckles, Johnny managed to gasp out, "Are you a little wet?"

Johnny's laughter was contagious, as Ed had managed to catch it. He too was absorbed by Johnny's innocent fun. Double-D didn't see the humor in it at all. His expression was grim, yet stolid. Don't go off, Double-D, he told himself. Whatever you do, stay level-headed. That would have worked had Ed not copied Johnny's antics. He jumped into the water, sending a wall of water flying. Now it was Ed's turn to laugh nonstop. Johnny's face became serious, and he looked at Plank. Plank had been soaked by the wave, and had swollen up. "Oh no! Plank, you must be allergic to something to swell up like that!" 

Carrying swollen Plank, Johnny continued on his way, as Double-D stepped cautiously into the water. Eddy, Nazz, Kevin, and Rolf were waiting at the other side. "A joke is never as funny the second time you hear it, Ed." Double-D scolded Ed, walking past him.

Ed's face formed a serious expression, but finally, all Ed could say was, "I don't get it. It's all gravy." And continued to the other side of the creek. 

Eddy had instructed the group to stay put and wait for Ed and Double-D while he tried to form a path to Peach Creek Estates. He paced down the edge of the trees, looking for a suitable place to begin clearing. A few yards down, he found a pile of stones, and near it, an open space in the trees. Poking his head around the corner, Eddy turned and explored the path, to see if it indeed led to Peach Creek Estates. Eddy maneuvered through several twists and turns before he could see the other side. A large sign marked, "Peach Creek Estates" was clearly visible from where he stood. His concentration was so absorbed by the sign that he was only just noticing the girl sitting on the grass only a few feet away. She certainly couldn't see him masked in the trees, but she was in plain sight. Who was she?


	2. Edside Out

Chapter 2

Edside Out

Double-D stepped out of the water at last, still dripping. He squeezed his shirt in an attempt to get the water out of it, but there was no hope. Noticing everyone standing around, Double-D had to ask, "What's going on?"

Johnny approached him, looking perplexed. "Eddy told us to wait for him while he cleared a path in the trees. He's not back yet."

Overhearing, Kevin yelled, "If that dork doesn't show up in two minutes, me and Nazz are leaving." Nazz swatted at invisible bugs around her head, and nodded her head in agreement. 

Meanwhile, Eddy had no idea how long he was taking. He was absorbed in his curiosity. Who was this girl anyway? He had no clue that anyone even lived in Peach Creek Estates! The last thing he remembered of the area was it being a development under construction, but that was several years earlier. Clearly, a lot had changed here since he had last seen it. Houses had popped up all over, and it had turned from a development into a neighborhood quite beautifully. But it looked somewhat like his own neighborhood. The house he could see most clearly closely resembled Kevin's house. The one next to it looked almost like his own

That was when Eddy remembered his tour group. He raced back through the trees, but slowed down before he reached them. "About time, dork." Kevin was in no mood to wait. 

"Eddy, I believe Ed's deodorant is giving out!" Double-D commented, noting the flies orbiting Ed.

"All right, all right. I found a path, don't have a bird." 

Eddy led the group up the side of the creek, which was slippery with mud. "Wilfrid would find much joy here." Rolf said while regaining his balance from a near-fall. 

After the procession reached the path Eddy had found, Eddy felt his insides heat up. What was the deal with Peach Creek Estates? Now seemed to be the time to find out. Maintaining his leadership, Eddy marched on through the path, and soon he had reached the other end, and they were standing behind the houses of a new cul-de-sac. Again, he was dumbstruck. It was just bizarre. 

It didn't seem to have that effect on anyone else. The rest of the group looked fed up with the entire trek. But how could they not notice this? If they saw kids they might. Eddy led them between two houses and into a deserted cul-de-sac. The houses were all silent, and not one person was around. But its resemblance to their own cul-de-sac was uncanny. 

Eddy wasn't entirely sure why he himself found the mystery so incredible; but something about it attracted him. The proposition of a new cul-de-sac was an interesting one. New kids, new suckers. But that wasn't all. It was just a curious enigma. And a quiet one as well. The sounds of kids playing had filled the air when he had last come here only minutes earlier. They must have all gone inside. Eddy tried to appear as if nothing was bothering him, when this was definitely doing so. It reminded him of the day nothing made sense; when he, Ed, and Double-D tried to become smarter. This couldn't be just an illusion. It couldn't be. Instantly, Eddy made this a summer priority: find out what's up with Peach Creek Estates.

After the trip back to their own cul-de-sac, Kevin crossed his arms, looking critical. "That sucked." Nazz nodded, and she and Kevin left quickly.

Rolf shook his head in confusion and walked away mumbling, "The Ed boys have lost their marbles?"

The three Eds and Johnny stood in a speechless tension, with Johnny staring sheepishly out into space. "Um, Eddy? Can I go on the next nature walk?" He asked innocently. "Plank, I don't care. I want to go and you can't say anything to stop me. I never said you had to come!" Johnny scolded Plank. Eddy watched the one-way argument. It was hard for him to believe that this fifteen-year-old still carried around that piece of wood. Not only that, but conversed with it. Would Johnny and Plank always be "friends?" They had been as long as Eddy remembered, and it didn't look like it would change any time soon. But the nature walk plan was ancient history.

"Sorry Johnny, we're booked. And we're going to be booked for the rest of the summer. Can't you do something else?"

Disappointed but willing, Johnny carried Plank left for their house. Double-D was in a state of shock. Someone actually wanted to take part in a scam and Eddy turned it down! True, it had to be the lamest thing they had done in years, but still "Eddy, why did you refuse Johnny? You had a chance at more money!"

It seemed like a shift in perspective; Double-D wanted to go after more money, and Eddy turned it down. But Eddy stuck by his idea. "No, I have a better plan than those retarded nature walks. Remember what Ed said about guitars and bands? We should ditch the walk thing and start a band! My brother told me that no chick can resist guys in a band!" 

Ed's attention was caught the second he heard his name. "Band? I want a band!"

Eddy started up again. "This would be the best idea yet! Fame, fortune, and females. That spells happiness for me!" 

Double-D was enthusiastic, after all it was his suggestion, but how could they do it? "The idea is a good one, but we need instruments, stereos, microphones, lyrics, a name"

"We have a name. Ed." Ed answered proudly. 

"No, no, Ed." Double-D raised his hand to his forehead. "A name for the band."

"So what's keeping us? Why don't we get to it?" Eddy wasn't bothered by the fact that the trio had no equipment or experience. That was just a technicality to be dealt with later. 

"It's almost dinner time. And I'm not allowed out after dinner." Double-D explained.

"What, still? Oh well, I guess it can wait until tomorrow. Until then, try to think about names for the band, ok?" Ed and Double-D nodded, and the three went their separate ways.

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Ed crept through the back door of his house, and stealthily turned to shut it. He breathed a sigh of relief, as Sarah was nowhere to be seen. Then he went to take his place at the table. He knew his parents were going out for dinner, so they had put some food in the fridge for Ed and Sarah. Ed knew he should eat, but he wasn't hungry. That was unusual; most nights he would come racing in to eat even though lunch had been only a few short hours earlier. But now his stomach was too jumpy to eat. The feeling was tense, but he enjoyed it. It was as if he knew something extraordinary was about to happen. 

This had happened before. Ed was usually spot-on when it came to sensing ominous events. And this one had to be something very big and very real if it was keeping him from eating. This was different from things he had been nervous about before, such as Sarah or money. Thoughts of those things frightened him, or left him angry or sad. This was different. He was happy. The promise of the band was Ed's first thought for a reason, so he just tried to accept that. But that didn't seem like all of it. There was something he was overlooking. What could it be?

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A door shut in Peach Creek Estates. A girl wanted to be in the silence of her room. She had seen the strangest thing that day. "I have got to tell Jenny about this!" she picked up the cell phone, crashed down onto her bed and pressed the button for Jenny's number on the speed dial. 

Girl: "Hello?"

Jenny: "Hey!"

Girl: "So how are you doing?"

Jenny: "Pretty good. How about you?"

Girl: "Great, but you won't believe what I saw this afternoon."

Jenny: "Start talking." 

Girl: "Well, remember when you asked if Jen and I wanted to come over to your house? And I went home to get a bottle of pop? When I looked through the living room window, I saw about half a dozen kids going through the cul-de-sac."

Jenny: "Whoa, hold on. I'll bet it was just someone bringing friends over. Not a big deal."

Girl: "I've never seen any of them before. And the odd part was they came from the woods behind your home."

Jenny: "You're serious? I never saw anybody."

Girl: *frustrated* "Do you think I would make this up?"

Jenny: "Not really. You're not the type."

Girl: "Thank you."

Jenny: "So they came from behind my house?"

Girl: "Yes."

Jenny: "Oh crap! I had been sitting out behind my house waiting for you! But then I got tired of waiting and went to the living room to wait for you and Jen." 

Girl: "That's where they came from. I tried to get a good look at them, but they were hard to see. It was strange. Do you think they came from the other cul-de-sac?"

Jenny: "There's a cul-de-sac next to ours?"

Girl: "I haven't gone over there, but that's what I've heard."

Jenny: "Well, why don't we go find out?"

Girl: "It's eight o'clock at night. I doubt anyone would be out this late."

Jenny: "Duh. I mean tomorrow."

Girl: "Why not. There's nothing else we have to do."

Jenny: "Not really."

Girl: "All right. We can tell Jen then and see what she thinks."

Jenny: "But we already know that nothing!"

Girl: "That wasn't a nice thing to say."

Jenny: "I know. I'm so mean."

Girl: "Yes, you are. Okay, so I'll see you and Jen tomorrow. Bye, Jenny!"

Jenny: "Bye, Jenn."

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Finally, Ed gave in to his hunger and opened the door of the fridge to see what there was for him to eat. Not much, just a cold chicken sandwich and some carrots. Ed took the sandwich, tossed it in the microwave for a few minutes and ate it. It was pretty good, but after he had gotten it down, it felt as if it would soon come back up. "It's not the band." Ed muttered to himself. He had wanted to have the band, so how could it make him so tense? Sure, he was happy, but he was still tense. It was the tension that bothered him. It was similar to what he felt when Eddy and Double-D fought, but it wasn't as much of a nervous reaction. And there had to be another reason. But he didn't want to think about it.

Maybe if he tried to think of a name for the band like Eddy had told him to, he could get his mind off it. Ed hoped so. Nothing was coming to him. Just blank. He tried to picture a CD jewel case for the band. There he was, with Eddy and Double-D. Now that he could see the case, what was the name of the band? Still, Ed could not picture a name. Only the band itself. A movie could help. They always did. Ed left the kitchen for the basement, where he could put on a B-movie. He always thought better when he was watching monsters terrorize the populace of some large city.

Inserting a tape into the player, he crashed backwards into the chair. In this movie, a one-eyed monster rampaged erratically through a crowd, attacking them. Ed smiled. "Now I can think." All kinds of different names danced through his head. Wafflebutt? Armpit? Headlice? There was a connection between all the names Ed could think of; they were all body-related. Still, he liked the sound of them. The idea of being in a band called "Armpit" appealed to him in particular. It was such a unique name without being too off the wall. Armpit. Or better yet, something he had come up with earlier that day. Ed had been considering it, but tried to forget it, as Eddy would never go for it. Love Gravy would be the perfect name for a band.

While Ed was mulling over the wonder of the name Love Gravy, he heard a thud. The thud was followed closely by a scream, which could easily be identified as Sarah's. Beads of sweat pooled on the back of Ed's neck as he awaited Sarah's appearance. The words, "Sarah bad for Ed! Sarah bad for Ed!" echoed in his mind like a broken record. Not even his movie could comfort him now. 

"Oh, Ed!" Sarah cooed in the sugar-coated voice she used before shouting at her brother. 

Ed recognized this and instantly became nervous. "Yes, oh esteemed pentagon of virtue?" 

"Why was all your crap on the stairs? I fell and I'm telling!" The little sister strategy was still alive and well in Sarah. "Pick it up now!" 

Wanting to obey, Ed nodded his head shakily and climbed the stairs to pick up all his things that he had left there. There weren't all that many, only some old comic books and action figures. There were some markers from when he had made the poster as well.

When he was finished, he mopped his brow. "Safe stairs, sweet sister Sarah." Ed assured her. Sarah smirked, looking proud of herself. 

"That's great, Ed. But you know what? I'm still telling!" And she raced up the stairs to wait for her parents to return. Ed was alone again, and greatly thankful for it. Sarah could tell on him ten thousand times, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad as just about anything else she could do to him. Sarah hadn't even laid a finger on him. He returned slowly to his chair, plunked down into it again, and relaxed, watching his movie. Ed was so thrilled with the name he came up with for the band! Although Ed had considered calling Eddy or Double-D about his idea, he decided that it really wasn't worth it to call this late. He stared wistfully into the cul-de-sac. Ed couldn't wait until the next day when he could tell Eddy and Double-D.

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Double-D had long since eaten and had flopped down on his bed with a book. He chuckled to himself, muttering, "Only the first day of summer, and already I want to go back to school." Picking up his reading again, Double-D hadn't gotten far before he remembered Eddy's request. "Oh!" He exclaimed, quickly placing the bookmark in his book again. Once the book was safely placed on his desk next to his magnifying glass where he wouldn't lose it, Double-D leaned against the wall, trying to come up with the perfect name for the band. 

A name like "Demon Sadist" appealed to him, as did "Hell's Psychos" and "Phlegm." Double-D smiled at the ideas, then his expression became sour. Picturing Ed in a band called "Demon Sadist" was difficult. The other two, especially "Phlegm," could almost work. But still, these names were so gruesome. But he liked it that way. What would be a better name for a crappy garage band?

Double-D was content with those names for the moment, and considered going back to his book. Somehow, he didn't feel like it. Life hadn't been this good to him in such a long time. Not by a long shot

Feeling himself drifting off into a daydream, Double-D came quickly back to reality at the sound of the phone. He picked up the phone on his desk, automatically saying:

Double-D: "Double-D's room, Double-D speaking."

Eddy: "Hiya, Double-D!"

Double-D: "Oh, hello, Eddy. You called me last night! The phone bill will go through the roof!"

Eddy: "Geez, Double-D, you gotta cool it. So what are you doing?"

Double-D: "Well, I was just considering names for the band."

Eddy: "Sweet. Come up with anything good?"

Although he hoped he had, Double-D didn't want to brag about it, especially not names like "Demonic Sadist."

Double-D: "Well, perhaps, but"

Eddy: "Let's hear it!" 

Double-D: "Well, what do you think of Demonic Sadist?"

Eddy: *shocked* "Uh kinda freaky, huh?"

Double-D: "I guess you're right. Why don't we wait until tomorrow and ask Ed?" 

Eddy: "Oh man, I can't _wait_ to hear what _he's_ come up with!" *laughs*

Double-D: *laughs*

Eddy: "Well, all right. See ya then. Your house?"

Double-D: "Certainly. Bye."

Eddy: "Bye."

Eddy hung up the phone and sat on his bed again to consider the band-to-be. Sure, he had enlisted Ed and Double-D in the search for the perfect name, but a perfect name alone was not going to make a perfect band. Still, it was more than Eddy could do alone, as he had had no luck coming up with anything. He wanted the name to be along the lines of "- - - - and the - - - - - -s," but he couldn't think of anything good to fill in the blanks. The best he had come up with so far was "PimpEddy and the 4-Skins," but he knew Ed wouldn't get it and Double-D would never approve.

Still, he liked the sound of it. "PimpEddy. That's me!" he sighed contentedly, admiring himself in the mirror. But where had he come up with such a perfect namesake for himself? Surely he hadn't. He knew its roots were deep, and it had come from someone somewhere long before, long before he could distinguish its origin. Eddy sat heavily on the edge of his bed, yawning and stretching. It had been a long day. The first day of summer shouldn't be this rough. Too tired to bother with changing his clothes for bed, Eddy simply flopped onto his back, his hands laced together on his chest. He would only rest his eyes for a moment, that was all

__

Eddy was nervous. "I've been trying to call you" he stammered in a fright. 

"Huh," scoffed another voice, bearing a similar tone to his own, but the sound was more feminine. This was certainly a girl he was talking to. "Then it's kinda fucked up that I always get your machine when I call." Who was she? Her face was a blur. Like it had been rubbed out. He remembered her, but neither her name nor her face came to him. But the voice and personality were familiar. So familiar. But so long ago...!

"Ugh," Eddy grunted, sitting up. "I am ready to forget that. At least it was a dream this time. What time is it?" Leaning over, he looked at the clock on his nightstand. "It's not even midnight yet! Well, I better get to bed." Eddy changed for bed, and threw some clothes near the door for the next day. He lifted the sheets of his bed and got in, turning off his glowing lava lamp. It was dark and quiet in his room now, but Eddy couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about the dream. It wouldn't have bothered him so much had it been just a dream, but this had been real once. After all the years of trying to forget, Eddy tried to remember. But it was no use. In only a few moments, Eddy was asleep again.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

It was now officially the birthday of the band. Well, it was still two in the morning, but that didn't make Ed any more willing to sleep and wait for it to come. He wanted to be ready for it. Eddy and Double-D had long since been asleep, but Ed was in no mood for it. He sat on his bed, proudly eyeing all of his B-movie posters and the layer of objects that coated the floor of his room. Many times he had tried to clean it, but every time he had failed. Now he just concentrated on controlling the clutter's depth.

The room was completely dark except for the ray of moonlight that shone in through the window of his basement room. The ray poured in across the room, and Ed's eyes followed it to where it ended, or simply became too pale to see. Rising from the bed, Ed tiptoed cautiously through the mess. If he made a noise and Sarah heard him, he could end up grounded forever. But the deafening silence remained as Ed reached the end of the beam. "Maybe there will be a pot of gold." He whispered to himself. Although a moonbeam certainly wasn't a rainbow, and there couldn't be many leprechauns in Ed's room, it was good enough for him.

He dug through the mess, and came up with several things in his hands. Ed had to squint in the dim light to be able to see them, but they just looked like some plastic action figures. Returning his gaze to the end of the moonbeam, Ed noticed something tall and thin standing upright in the cluttered corner. Ed reached over and picked it up, letting the action figures fall to the floor. It felt smooth and wooden, so he assumed that it was a stick. But what would a stick be doing in his room? Holding it up to the light, he could easily see that this was not just a stick that he had found.

It was a drumstick. Ed smiled, realizing what this meant. If he had one drumstick, there was surely another. And hopefully, a drum. Although fearful of making noise and waking Sarah, the fear that Ed would have forgotten where to look by morning bothered him more. Sarah could do anything she wanted, but all Ed wanted was a band. He shifted some of the things in the pile, and after what seemed like hours of frantic searching, he found it, buried deep in dirty clothes several feet away from where he found the first. Now to search for the drum.

The clock flashed 4:16 on Ed's wall, but there was still no sign of any sort of drum. Ed plunked himself back down on his bed again, sighing heavily. Where could it be? These were definitely drumsticks; there was no denying that. But if he had drumsticks, there had to be a drum. Ed mulled this over until it finally just faded away

Ed woke, realizing that the moonbeam had gone and that he had been sleeping. Sunlight now filled his room, and he looked over at the clock. 9:02! Ed jumped up and dashed in the direction of the door, but stopped, remembering he was in his underwear. Even though it was unseasonably hot, even for June, Ed knew that going outside in his underwear was a bad idea. He threw on some clothes and left his room carrying his drumsticks, off to wherever Eddy and Double-D had chosen for the making of the band. As he ran through the house, the words *Love Gravy* echoed through his head. Now he could tell Eddy and Double-D the name he had come up with!

After several minutes searching the cul-de-sac, Ed spotted Double-D and Eddy sitting on the front steps of Double-D's house. Eddy shot Ed a crooked grin. "Ed, what took ya?" 

Ed twisted the bottom of his red and white shirt as he often did when he was nervous or embarrassed. It was a bad habit he had developed over the years, and mostly because of Eddy. But this was not a big deal. "Uh, I fell asleep." Ed had wanted to stay up all night to be ready to go on time, but obviously that hadn't worked. 

As Ed released his shirt from his wringing hands, Double-D spotted the drumsticks. They were in Ed's pocket, and he had planned to address the missing drum problem later. "What are those?" Double-D asked, pointing at them.

"Hey yeah, Lumpy. Whatcha got?" Eddy asked, seeing Double-D's discovery for the first time.

Ed whipped the drumsticks out of his pocket. "Drumsticks! Extra crispy!" He danced around nimbly, pounding his drumsticks on the air. Double-D watched Ed's agile movements, his hand cupped over his mouth. Ed put his whole heart into everything he did, and this was no exception. Although Eddy watched patiently for several minutes, he was only willing to go along with it for so long. 

"Where's your drum?" Eddy asked, critically.

In mid-jump, Ed's motion stopped at the sound of the question. Ed landed softly on the grass and turned back around to face Eddy and Double-D. "Drum? That's the thing. I don't know."

"You don't know?" Double-D repeated after Ed's words. Ed shook his head solemnly. "Did you look everywhere?"

"Ed! How could you just lose a drum, but keep track of the sticks? I thought stuff was never in the last place you looked!" 

It was clear that Ed was at the end of his rope. "I don't know, Eddy!" He let the drumsticks fall from his hands and clatter to the ground. "I looked all over my room, but it was dark and the mess was deep!" 

Double-D rolled his eyes and smiled at Ed's unusual description of what happened. "Well, Ed, perhaps we could return to your house later for another look?" Ed looked skeptical, but he did want to find his drum. He nodded and turned to face Eddy again. 

Eddy shrugged. "Okay, first of all the band needs a name. So Any suggestions?"

Ed had been holding his dream name inside him all day, which was far too long for him. "Love Gravy!" Ed announced, grinning broadly. Eddy and Double-D stared at him, unsure if they had heard right.

"Love Gravy?" Eddy repeated, trying not to laugh. "Sounds a little"

"Eddy," Double-D interrupted, a warning tone in his voice. "Ed deserves a right to his ideas as much as you do. What have you come up with that's so much better?"

Nothing could stop Eddy from sharing his idea now. "PimpEddy and the 4-Skins!" 

The garage was silent, and Eddy wondered whether that was a good idea after all. "As if," double-D began, "I would be part of a band that has such a vulgar name! I mean ugh!" 

"All right, I get the idea!" Eddy was in no mood to hear a lecture. "How about 'Blue Balls Deluxe'?" 

Double-D crossed his arms, and Ed snickered quietly. Eddy couldn't tell whether Ed understood what that meant or not, but Ed still saw humor in it where Double-D did not. And Double-D's perfectionism was starting to get on his nerves.

Still, Double-D was persistent, and was ready to go to war to prevent the final result from being "Blue Balls Deluxe." Raising his hand to his chin, he suggested, "How about 'Science Diet'?" 

Eddy was not thrilled with that idea. "Like hell am I going to be in a band called 'Science Diet'!"

Double-D stifled a laugh at Eddy's dramatic response, but he sobered up quickly when a thought came to him. Possibly a good compromise. "Thanks Eddy."

"You're welcome. But I'm sure you would have figured out how retarded that sounded before long."

"No, no, Eddy. What you said. What do you think about calling the band 'LikeHell'?" 

Eddy was shocked that Double-D would suggest that, but considering what he had come up with over the phone the night before, it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise. Double-D wouldn't mind an edgy name, just not something like "The SofistoFuks." But LikeHell was the best thing Eddy had heard so far. Love Gravy was a little too reminiscent of Ed's obsession with gravy more than anything else. 

"Yeah! LikeHell has my vote. What about you, Ed?"

"I like it." Ed answered.

"Then LikeHell it is!" Eddy cheered. "That didn't take too long. We can paint it on the drum later. If we find it, that is."

"Speaking of which, Eddy, we should try to locate the missing drum before we forget." Double-D suggested, remembering that the drum had yet to be found.

"Yeah, drum." Ed repeated. 

"Will you be joining us, Eddy?" 

"Forget it! I'm tired. I'll make lunch."

Double-D shrugged. "By all means. We should be back soon, anyway." Eddy watched his friends tear across the cul-de-sac. Shaking his head and smiling, Eddy turned and went inside Double-D's house to make lunch. Why couldn't Ed keep track of his things? Even if he and Double-D did find the drum, Ed would probably keep looking for it for the rest of the week.

The front door of Ed's house creaked open. His house was one of the oldest in the cul-de-sac, and it certainly acted the part. "So you didn't look anywhere except in the basement?" Double-D asked, wanting to verify Ed's original search. Ed nodded his head, looking perplexed. "Well, why don't we try somewhere else first, because" Double-D's true reasoning for starting the new search somewhere else was for the sake of avoiding Ed's grimy room, but his gentility wouldn't let him say that aloud. "because you have already looked there. I suggest we begin somewhere else, just to make sure before we go down there."

Both boys hunted all over for the missing drum: the living room, the den, the kitchen, bathrooms, and Ed's parents' room. After no success, Double-D was becoming more and more confident that he would have to go through Ed's room. Ed was ready to go. "Okay, to the lair of the Ed!" he cheered, and turned for his door. Then Double-D remembered the one place they had left out. 

"Hold on, Ed. Sarah's room! We didn't check Sarah's room, did we?" A loop hole! Doubtful as Double-D was that Sarah did have the drum, it would put off the trek to Ed's room. Ed hung his head and followed Double-D as if he was being led to his execution. If Sarah caught him, the consequences would be close enough to an execution for his taste. 

Double-D pushed open the door to reveal the pretty room of a girl done in pastel colors. Ed squinted at their brightness. The floor was littered with toys, much as Ed's was, but there was more structure to this mess. It was clear that Sarah and Jimmy had begun some sort of game yesterday and planned to finish it today. Double-D knew that he and Ed would have to be quick but careful, as there were a pair of intricate but huge thrones near the closet, and two dolls occupied them. 

Ed knew better than to even approach the thrones, as all he could imagine was moving the wrong way and knocking the thrones to the floor. He stayed far away from them, skulking through a pile of toys in the opposite corner. Right in front of the thrones, Double-D stood, looking them over from top to bottom. "Double-D, stay away from them!" Ed called across the room. 

"Settle down, Ed. I only want to look." Double-D looked at the thrones from top to bottom. Each resembled an Eiffel Tower of toys, slender at the top and spreading out as it got lower, then split into four legs. The larger one held the king doll, and the smaller one held the queen. The seats of the thrones were very interesting, each was a different size, but embroidered in a red, green, and blue pattern. One appeared to have a gong-like thing hanging from it. "Ed, come and look at this."

Seeing that Double-D was still staring at the thrones, Ed answered with a firm, "No."

"But Ed, I just want to know if these are your drums." Ed raised his eyebrow and approached, still cautiously. 

Once he had reached Double-D's side, he looked at the seats of the thrones. "That's them!" he exclaimed happily. Those were certainly his drums. He remembered getting them for Christmas one year. They weren't large drums, nor were they terribly professional in appearance, but they made enough noise to get the job done. 

Double-D was chuckling in shock that the drums had been found and relief that there would be no need to go to Ed's basement. "Why didn't you tell me there were more than one?" 

Ed shrugged, and chuckled as well. Then, he noticed that Double-D was no longer laughing. "What?" Ed asked nervously. 

Sizing up the throne, Double-D asked Ed finally, "How on earth do you plan to get those drums out?" Ed looked at the throne. That was a good question. They were the seats of huge thrones that nearly reached Sarah's ceiling. She would have had to stand on a chair to create this masterwork. 

Wanting to get out of this problem with as little harassment from Sarah and Eddy as possible, Ed tried desperately to figure out a way to get the drums without destroying Sarah's throne. "Maybe we can wait for Sarah be done with it." 

Double-D considered the idea, not wanting to anger Sarah either, then doubted that Eddy would accept an empty-handed return. "Maybe we can simply replace the drums with something else." 

That sparked an idea from the depths of Ed's mind. "I have some boxes in my room that we could use." With that, he took off for his room. He returned carrying several attractively colored boxes, and placed them all on the floor. These boxes could replace the drums, if there was a way to remove the drum without destroying the tower in the process. 

Carefully lifting the dolls from their perches, each Ed slid the drum out from where it had been, and replaced it with a box, then returned the dolls to their thrones. The boys stood slowly, picking up the drums and turned to leave. The sound of approaching footsteps made them wish they were anywhere else. "Sarah has come to make me pay!" Ed whimpered, and Double-D looked desperately for a place to hide when there was nowhere. Ed took a deep breath, fearing it might be his last. 

"What is taking you guys so damn long? Did you even - - - oh, you did find the drums!" 

Ed's breath turned to a sigh of relief. "Eddy! It's you!"

"Who else would care that I wanted to start on the band at nine and now it's almost ten? Wait, this is Sarah's room! Can we go now?"

"Yes." Double-D answered seriously. Ed cradled the drums in his arms and followed his friends out the door. "Ed, you should hide those drums. Should Sarah see you" The words meant worlds to Ed, and he tucked the drums inside his jacket. The boys continued out of Ed's house, only to pass Sarah and Jimmy on their way back to the front door

"What if she takes the drums back when she sees they're gone?" Ed asked nervously. 

"She won't." Eddy assured him. "Because Double-D will be keeping them at his house when you aren't using them. Right, Sockhead?"

"Of course." Double-D agreed, watching Ed's face light up. 

But Eddy was still impatient. "Okay, can we eat **now**?" The three headed for Double-D's garage, and Ed set each of his drums down on the floor. Eddy sighed. "No, Ed. Like this." Turning the largest drum on its side, Eddy tried to set up the drums to look like the drums in rock concerts. They were a little on the small side, and Ed would have to play them sitting on the ground, but they were better than nothing. And if the name of the band was printed in huge letters on the big drum, then it would be perfect. 

Double-D sat down near the drums, and Ed went behind the drums, taking up his sticks. He raised them over his head, trying to look professional, and brought them down, beating wildly on the drums. It was difficult to tell whether it was good or bad, as he was beating so fast, but it was interesting. When Ed finished, he smiled, then looked at Double-D. "But I wanted to play guitar." 

"Well, none of this has even been decided, Ed. They are your drums, but you don't necessarily have to play them."

"Ok, Double-D. Come on, if you think my omelettes are boss, you haven't lived until you've tried my pancakes!" Eddy announced, racing into Double-D's house.

"But I've alreadyEddy! Please remove your shoes!"

"Food for Ed!" Ed jumped up from where he was sitting and ran in circles, eager to eat. Because of his rush to Double-D's house earlier, he hadn't gotten anything to eat earlier in the day. 

"Once you have removed your shoes, Ed, please come in." Double-D instructed, opening the door that led in from the garage. Ed complied quickly, removing his shoes. He didn't want to, as he knew he would only have to put them back on later. Still, obeying Double-D was much faster than fighting with him, and Ed was willing to do anything to get his lunch. 

Eddy was standing over by the stove mixing various things in a frying pan on the stove. The aroma drifted over to the kitchen door, and sent Ed's stomach into a roaring fit. "Hurry, Eddy! I am hungry." Ed pronounced each word carefully, as he often did when something important was happening. And in Ed's terms, lunch qualified as important. 

Lurching up to where Eddy was creating his pancakes, Ed licked his lips. "Can I lick the bowl, Eddy?" 

"No way, Monobrow! You remember last time." 

"But the feeling is back in my tongue now." 

"I don't care. You can wait a few more minutes." Eddy was ready for Ed to leave him alone, although it was amusing to listen to Ed go on about food and tongues. Ed sat at the table next to Double-D, and the kitchen was silent except for the sizzle of the eggs in the frying pan and the hum of the ceiling fan. But the memory of the other cul-de-sac yesterday was still fresh in Eddy's mind, and he couldn't figure out what the deal was with the "kids" there. It was a mystery, and no matter which way Eddy turned it over in his brain, he couldn't figure it out. Surely he hadn't imagined it. But how else could Peach Creek Estates go from bustling to mute when he only turned his back for a moment? 

Maybe Double-D could shine some light on the problem. He would certainly know if anyone lived there. "Double-D," Eddy began slowly, not entirely sure how to phrase the question so it didn't sound like something Ed would say. "You know Peach Creek Estates?"

"Well, duh. We were just there yesterday." 

Although a little surprised that Double-D would respond this way, Eddy had to admit that the question was asking for it. "Yeah. But did you know anyone lived there?"

Double-D put a finger to his chin in consideration. "No Well, sort of. I knew they had finished construction, but I didn't know for certain that anyone lived there."

This was Eddy's chance. "Well that's the thing. Remember when I went ahead to find a way through the trees?"

Double-D nodded. "Kevin told me that's what you were doing."

"And I was only looking for a way through. But I found the cleared out path already there. I didn't do that. And the thing that was really fucked up the sound of it. I could hear kids and even see some, but by the time we got there, they were gone! If they were ever there, how could they just disappear?"

"I'm not sure. That's quite a quandary, Eddy."

"Yeah, it's really that. But we'll probably find out what - - -" 

__

"Don't burn Ed's lunch!" the words suddenly flew from Ed's mouth as he pointed at the frying pan. Eddy quickly remembered the pancakes and turned to see the steam rising from the frying pan. 

"Uh oh." Eddy sighed, looking at his pancakes. Using a spatula to flip them over, he smiled. "Ed, you'll be glad to know that the pancakes are ok. They'll just be a little crispy on one side." Eddy chuckled at the sight of the pancakes, which now had a creamy white side and a deep brown side with a few black places. Still, if Ed wanted to eat so bad, he'd have to make do with these, Eddy told himself. No way was Eddy going to go all the way back to the start. But that wasn't the most critical matter at hand. The band was more important. As for the Peach Creek Estates enigma, that could wait until there was time to deal with it. And lunch was not that time.

Eddy flipped the pancakes over to see the bottom. Still a little bubbly, but it was dying down enough that they would be ready in a few moments. As he listened to the sizzle of the batter in the frying pan, Eddy felt better than he had in awhile. And he had been so tense only hours earlier! What could have been bothering him so much then? 

__

"I've been trying to call you" 

"Huh, then it's kinda fucked up that I always get your machine when I call."

Oh yeah, what else. Why did he have to try to remember? Now he would spend unlimited time wondering about this. So much unanswered But how much did this even matter? It was over and done with, and all Eddy could determine from it was that it was only something he just happened to remember. Long-forgotten memories would occasionally appear in his mind for no apparent reason. This was certainly another of those. Making peace with these phrases was something Eddy wanted to do, but it was easier said than done. Still, he resolved not to think about it, so it would have to go away eventually. 

The pancakes were done, and Eddy turned off the stove. While he did see cooking as being something that a girl, not a boy, was supposed to do, Eddy did enjoy making pancakes. Spatula in hand, Eddy flipped each pancake onto a paper plate. "Think fast, Sockhead. Incoming!!!" Eddy yelled, flinging the paper plate over to the table like a Frisbee. Double-D lunged for the plate, managing somehow to catch it before it went skidding off the table.

"Eddy, please! Remember that you are in my kitchen, and you should abide by my rules. Such as: no throwing plates." 

Eddy scowled. "Damn, don't have a bird."

"And no cursing." Double-D added. Ed smiled, biting his lip. The anger that appeared on Eddy's face was to hilarious to ignore. Ed put his hands over his mouth to conceal his widening grin. _If I laugh, Eddy will hurt me, but if I don't laugh, I'll explode!_ Ed thought to himself. Ed decided that he would rather take his chances with Eddy, as Double-D would be mad at him anyway for exploding in the kitchen if he suppressed his laughter. 

"Ha ha ha ha! Eddy look funny!" Ed released a deep laughter finally, unable to contain it any longer. 

Eddy was in no mood for this. All day he had been fighting with himself to forget the conversation in his head, and Peach Creek Estates as well. The whole thing was just becoming annoying. Sure, Ed's dim laughter was full of only rough, easy friendliness. There was no malice in his guttural murmurs, but Eddy was in no mood to be laughed at by anyone, even Ed. "Shut up, just shut up already!" Eddy shouted in Ed's face. 

"But" Double-D began to protest, but a warning glare from Eddy buttoned his lip.

Ed sobered up quickly, his smile disappeared, and his eyes lost their jovial gleam. "Aw, come on Eddy. I was just playin'." Crossing his arms, Eddy grunted. Still, he went back to the counter to retrieve his own pancakes. If I wasn't in _Lord Sockhead's Kitchen_, I would have given it to Ed for that Eddy turned back around and sat at the table, poking at his pancakes with his fork. Ed grabbed his pancakes, rolled them into tubes, and crammed them greedily into his mouth. Seeing the disgusted look on his friends' faces, Ed wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Syrup, please!" 

Double-D's nauseated expression turned gleeful as soon as the words were spoken. "Why, Ed! How genteel of you to be so polite!" Ed scratched his belly and smiled. 

As soon as the syrup had passed from Double-D's hand to Ed's, Eddy raised an eyebrow. "Ed, you don't have any pancakes left." 

The remark froze Ed. "Does that matter?" asked Ed. Leaning his head back, he opened the cap and poured the creamy syrup into his mouth. Once he had consumed about a third of the bottle, Ed placed it back on the table and put the cap back on. "Ahhh. That hit the spot."

Too disgusted to speak, Double-D covered his eyes with one hand. Eddy just stared blankly for a moment, then burst into a fit of laughter. "Ed's guzzling syrup! That was awesome, Lumpy!" 

"No photos, please." Ed announced, bowing his head. Eddy pounded the table with a closed fist as he laughed at Ed's idiocy. It was impossible to stay mad at someone who counted his teeth every night to make sure they were all there. Double-D removed the hand from his face and daintily carved at his pancakes with a knife and fork. It seemed to him as though his friends would never improve, never advance and become more polite. Ed's request for the syrup was reason for celebration, as that was about as good as Ed or Eddy got. Shaking his head, Double-D sighed, pushing himself to work harder to accept their "quirks."

When they had finished, Double-D picked up the paper plates and placed them in the trash under the sink. "I can't remember ever having pancakes for lunch." Double-D said finally. The kitchen was silent for several minutes; not that there was much to be said. 

Finally, Eddy spoke. "Want to paint 'LikeHell' on the drum now?"

"Sure." Double-D agreed and followed Ed and Eddy back to the garage. Eddy flipped the big drum back up so the side where the writing would go was on top. Double-D examined the embroidery on the sides of the drum. 

It was mostly red, but swirls of emerald green and royal blue spanned the red background. Gold bits sparkled here and there. Double-D was mesmerized by its incredible appearance. "Ed, however did you get these in the first place?" 

Ed tried to remember. "I know it was at Christmas. Maybe I got them because Sarah was tired of me hitting bowls in the kitchen." Still, these drums were exquisite. Not terribly professional or serious looking, but very interesting. 

While Ed and Double-D were discussing this, Eddy tried to figure out what color the letters on the drum should be. "Ed, got any gold paint left from that time we sold 'jewelry'? I think the writing should be gold." 

Double-D looked at it, trying to analyze it for himself. "Yes, gold would be nice. What do you think, Ed?"

"Green." Ed crossed his arms and smiled. 

"Green?" Eddy repeated. "Why green? That would be stupid!" 

"But green's my favorite color!" Ed whined. 

"But you're outvoted, Ed! I say gold, and Double-D says gold! Tough luck, Ed."

Ed pouted, looking like he would fall apart. That expression always won, Double-D over, making him reconsider. "Eddy, we could simply have green letters and outline them in gold." 

Although he did seem to be considering it, Eddy didn't look too thrilled with the idea. "No. Just gold. Green and gold would look stupid together." 

"It's just a drum. This isn't that big a deal." Double-D added dryly. 

"It's only our band's symbol and it isn't that big a deal?" Eddy shot back. Ed hated seeing them argue, so he covered his eyes. But he could still hear them. So he covered his ears instead. Still, that wasn't good enough. Rising from where he sat, Ed left through the door of the garage, leaving Eddy and Double-D to their "discussion" of the color of the writing. Now he was a little mad at himself, as well. It didn't even matter! Why did I open my mouth? He thought to himself. Walking around and just getting away from their bickering eased his churning stomach. Sarah and Jimmy were playing outside again, and Sarah didn't even look up as Ed went by. At least she didn't seem mad at him for once. Kevin and Rolf were tossing a football back and forth. They couldn't wait for football practice to start. And Nazz was near the end of the street with three other girls?

Ed's first impulse was to run back to the garage -fast- because to him, girls in threes equaled only Kankers. But these girls didn't appear to be the Kankers at all when he actually stopped to look at them. They looked sweeter, gentler. Ed tipped his head to one side, wondering who they were. Ed could see Nazz's mouth moving, and watched her gesture with her hands as she spoke. He wanted to know what she was saying, but his mother had always told him never to eavesdrop. But still he was curious. 

Nervously, Ed watched the four chatting girls. An etchy smile was plastered across his face in an attempt to hide his unease. But were they coming closer? They were! Now, Ed no longer cared what they were saying. He just wanted to leave. They looked nice enough, but a neurotic feeling welled up inside Ed. It had something to do with the fact that they were _girls_, but why it was there at all, he didn't know. Ed turned, extending one leg a great distance forward in an attempt to sneak back to the garage. Maybe Eddy and Double-D had decided to paint the letters blue or some such thing. He had only taken a few steps when he heard Nazz's voice from behind him, "Wait, Ed. I want to introduce you." 

Stopping in his tracks, Ed turned his head and the rest of his body followed. "Hello. My name is Ed." Each word was pronounced clearly, and Nazz giggled. Ed looked at the girls. His eyes widened, and a broad grin spread on his face. One girl was much shorter than the other two. A few freckles were splashed across her face, and deep reddish-brown hair fell to her shoulders. The other two girls were about the same height. One had rich, coffee-colored skin, and long raven hair with a few skinny braids here and there. What was most striking about her were her blue eyes. Ed was absorbed by the shock of them. The third girl had blue eyes as well, but against her chalky skin, they didn't have the same effect. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail, and she was easily the least intimidating of the three. 

The short brunette spoke first. "Hey, Ed. I'm Jenny." 

Next the blonde. "I'm Jen." 

And finally the raven. "My name's Jenn. That's spelled with two 'N's."

Ed's eyes were ready to pop out of his head. Three girls named Jen? Inside, Ed wanted to laugh, at what he had come across. "Um" Ed began quietly. "Want to come meet my friends?"

"Sure. Is that okay with you Nazz?" Jenny answered. Nazz nodded, whispering something in Jenny's ear. "I don't care," Jenny said out loud. Nazz continued. Finally Nazz stepped away. Jenny stared at her for a moment. "I don't give a shit. I want to meet them." 

Nazz looked surprised at Jenny's response, but said nothing more. Ed motioned for the girls to follow, and they did. Jenn whispered to Jenny, "What did she say?"

"Nothing. Damn preppy girl. She said one of this guy's friends is a loser and the other is a nerd."

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Who cares? After all, girls like her are known to exaggerate."

"Look at me, I'm Nazz!" Jen said, dancing around, pretending to be a cheerleader. Jenn and Jenny giggled, watching her, and even Ed had to laugh. He had crushed on Nazz ever since he was young, but so had every other boy in the cul-de-sac. And this was a great impression of her. He smiled at Jen, and she slowly stopped dancing, smiling back. The four walked in silence the rest of the way back to Double-D's garage, and Ed hoped that Eddy and Double-D had stopped fighting. 

No such luck. The two were still going on about the letters, and the Jens just stared at them. "Do they always do that?" Jenny asked.

"Unh-uh." Ed shook his head. "Only sometimes." Ed approached Eddy and Double-D. "Hey." He said, interrupting their argument.

Eddy turned, annoyed. "Whaddaya want now?" Ed pointed at the Jens. Eddy and Double-D's mouths dropped open, as they didn't know where the girls came from. But after he stopped to really think about it, Eddy wondered if he had a clue.


	3. Ed-ternity

Chapter 3

Ed-ternity

"That's her!" Eddy whispered in Double-D's ear. 

"Who, may I ask?" Double-D whispered back. 

"It's the girl I saw in Peach Creek Estates!" Eddy had to gasp the words out, as it was hard enough for him to muzzle his shock. "Didn't I tell you?" Double-D shook his head. Jenn giggled at their whispered conversation. It was an odd sight, two 15 year old boys whispering back and forth like little girls. 

Ed grinned warmly. "Look guys! This is Jen, Jenn with two 'N's, and Jenny." At those words, Eddy and Double-D just froze. Three girls named Jen? "These are my pals, Eddy and Double-D!" Ed announced, feeling important as he introduced them all. 

"Double-D?" Jenny asked, confused but curious. 

"Oh, yes." Double-D answered timidly. "My name is Edd as well, but with two 'D's." 

"That's a good idea." Jenny answered. "Maybe we should start calling Jenn Double-N!" Jenny answered. 

"No, it doesn't have as nice a ring to it. But it would help differentiate between Jen and I." Jenn explained.

"Yeah." Jen continued. "Whenever someone yells, 'Jen!' we have to guess which one they want." 

Eddy laughed. "That's the problem I had with them." Then the garage was silent. Eddy tried to think of something to say, but he noticed Jenny staring at the big drum and the cans of paint sitting next to it. 

"What's all that for?" Jenny asked, finally.

"We're starting a band." Eddy sounded proud of something, as if the band had already reached top 40. 

"So what's with the paint?"

"It's for the drum. We're going to write 'LikeHell' on it."

"Is that the name of the band?"

"Yeah." 

While the other four kids listened to Eddy explain the paint argument to Jenny, Jenn examined the drum, taking in each color, each bead, each thread. "You know, maybe you should just paint them black." Jenn said, finally, stepping back from the drum.

"Black?" Double-D repeated. "Rather severe, is it not?" 

"Perhaps," Jenn concluded, "But LikeHell is a severe name. And it would be sweet if you added red and gold flames to it."

Ed tipped his head to one side slightly, trying to envision her idea. It seemed good to him, especially the flames. Thrilled with the idea as well, Eddy grinned. "Yeah! Let's go for it."

Double-D was still curious about Peach Creek Estates. "Jenn, are there any other kids in Peach Creek Estates?" 

"Of course! There's us" she began, counting on her fingers. "There's my Jen's little brother and his girlfriend"

"They're just 'friends,' Jenn." Jen corrected. "That's what he always says."

"My sister is just friends with her boyfriend, too." Ed was amazed that it wasn't just him who had to put up with that. 

"But there's lots of other people, too."

"Cool," Eddy answered, nodding his head. "It's kinda like that here. There's Nazz" The girls and Ed giggled at the mention of Nazz. "There's Kevin, he rides his bike all the time."

"Does he wear a red baseball cap?" Jenny asked. At Eddy's nod, Jenny continued, "Yeah, I saw him."

"Ed's sister Sarah and her 'boyfriend' Jimmy"

"They're just friends." Ed said, again.

Eddy cleared his throat and finished the list. "And Rolf, Johnny, and Plank."

Jenn and Jenny looked at each other, but said nothing. Jen just stood with a surprised look on her face. "Whoa, wait'll they see our cul-de-sac!" Jen remarked finally. 

"Why?" Double-D asked, more than a little suspiciously. 

"You'll have to see for yourself," explained Jenn. 

"Why not?" Eddy shrugged. "How long will it take us to paint the drum, anyway? Thirty seconds?" Satisfied, Jen, Jenn, and Jenny left through the open garage door, and Ed, Edd, and Eddy followed. As they passed through the cul-de-sac, all the passing kids stopped to see these new girls. Kevin sped up on his bike, skidding as he slowed his speed. 

Looking them up and down, his face relaxed, and the word, "Hey," rolled off his tongue as little more than a breath. Eddy scowled at him, trying to stare Kevin down. It didn't have any effect, but the fact that the three girls were completely ignoring him turned him off right then. "I guess I will see you later, then." Kevin rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, still hoping to be noticed. No change. Frustrated and pink-cheeked, Kevin pushed off the ground and pedaled away. His charm had never failed him before. This was a hard fall for him, after years of always landing the girl of his choice. 

"Let me guess. Kevin?" Jenny asked when Kevin was gone.

"Why yes." Double-D confirmed. "He does that often."

Jen grinned. "He should meet Ashley!" 

"Ashley?" Eddy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, this girl who lives next door to me." Jenny explained. "She kinda acts like Kevin."

"Does she ride a dumb bike everywhere?" Eddy snorted, jokingly.

"No, but she's always showing off her scooter. It's like she lives on that thing." Jenn sighed.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Damn bitch, always going on about how perfect she is!"

"I don't think she should meet Kevin. They would be bad influences on each other." Double-D answered calmly, trying his best to change the subject. This girl's tongue was so guiltless as she rattled off in her native language: profanity. 

Jimmy and Sarah came walking up the cul-de-sac in the opposite direction, talking about one thing or another. Upon seeing the Eds, Sarah scowled at Ed, but said nothing, and Jimmy just smiled warmly. The Jens saw the pair, able to tell instantly that these two were a very odd couple. Seeing the new faces, Sarah grabbed Jimmy by the wrist and led him over to greet the Jens. "Hi. I'm Sarah. I see you've already met my _brother_." 

"Yeah," Jenny answered. "Him and his friends are cool. I'm Jenny, and these are my friends, Jen and Jenn."

"Don't play with your food." Ed said proudly, hands on hips. 

Sarah continued, ignoring Ed's interruption. "And this is my friend, Jimmy."

Jen's mouth spread wide in a big grin. "Are you sure you're just friends?" then slapped her hands over her mouth as she burst into laughter. 

"Jen" Jenn began, sounded frustrated. Jen knew it was dumb to say the just friends' thing, but she couldn't control it. It just had to be said. 

Sarah's face reddened, and a growl escaped her throat. "Sarah, maybe we should bake cookies at my house. It's great for calming the nerves." It would take a lot of cookies to calm Sarah's nerves; she was a force to be reckoned with. She knew she really shouldn't mind that remark so much, just let it slide off her. But it opened an old wound, one that would take a miracle to repair. She had released Jimmy, who now wanted just to get out of this mess unscathed. He took her wrist, leading her away in the direction of his house.

"What is up with that girl?" Jenn asked, perplexed by Sarah's sudden outburst.

"She is my sister!" Ed pointed to his chest with his thumb, speaking of Sarah as if she were the best sister he could have.

"That and she's just pissy." Eddy explained. "She gets mad at everybody. Except _Jimmy_." As he said Jimmy's name, Eddy stood on tiptoe, put a hand to his mouth, and opened his eyes wide. The girls and Eddy laughed, and even Double-D couldn't resist a chuckle at the Jimmy impression. It was very good; all Eddy needed was a retainer. Jimmy would still need his for another year or so. But this just did not strike Ed as funny. Not because he didn't enjoy the impression; he did. But there was something about what Eddy said, the part about Sarah never getting mad at Jimmy. That had ruined it for him. But it shouldn't have; it was just a simple statement. Still, something about it made Ed unhappy

"What's that? Plank, that's not a nice thing to say." Ed had been so lost in his own little world, one far from his happy place, that he hadn't noticed Johnny's arrival. The Jens seemed to find Johnny's reprimand for Plank funny, whether it was because of something he had missed, or simply the fact that Johnny was scolding a piece of wood, Ed wasn't sure. Johnny went on to explain that Plank was now telling jokes, and he laughed hard at something no one else could hear. Eventually, he skipped back up the road, holding Plank above his head, singing songs by the Grateful Dead.

"He's a real piece of work." Jenny grunted as she watched Johnny leaping around at the other end of the cul-de-sac. 

"And his friend's a real piece of wood." Jen added. At these words the Eds and the Jens started moving again. A large black chicken passed in front of the group as they got closer to the end of the street. "Aaaugh! Bad luck!" Jen shrieked at the sight of the bird.

"No, I think that's only if it's a cat, Jen." Jenn put a hand on Jen's shoulder to calm her. 

"Do not frighten the greenhorns. This chicken frazzles Rolf to no end." Rolf scolded his chicken, waving a finger at it, then tying a leash around its neck to lead it back to the coop. Once he had done this, Rolf looked up at the Jens, who were staring at him with expressions of confusion and curiosity on their faces. "Hello," he continued, wide-eyed at the sight of new girls. But the sight of Eddy's disapproving glare, Rolf rose from his knees to his feet. "Rolf must be off to broil his pie in the sky." Double-D shrugged, and the six reached the end of the street. 

Turning the corner into Peach Creek Estates, Eddy's eyes couldn't help but widen. The neighborhoods seemed so similar. Although he had only just seen the place the day before, it was as if he was seeing it for the first time. 

"Was it designed to look like our cul-de-sac?" Eddy whispered to Double-D, leaning towards him. 

"I doubt I am not sure." Double-D answered, interrupting himself. "It _does_ look strangely similar." It was. Eddy looked off to the left, and saw a house that resembled his own. Although it was not a perfect match in the least, it was similar enough to make him wonder. On one side of it was what would have been Kevin's house, again, similar, but not a perfect match. The rest of this cul-de-sac was the same way. Each house here resembled one from Peach Creek, but one thing the Eds had to notice was the fact that everything was backwards. Kevin's house was on the right side of the Peach Creek cul-de-sac, and Eddy's next to it, and so on all the way to Double-D's on the left side of the street. What was up with this backwards cul-de-sac?

Still, that was not as important as the people who lived _in_ the houses. Jenny pointed off to the left side of the street, looking at the Eds. "That's my house. And Ashley's is next to that. Euugh! I can't get away from that slut." She clenched her fists, and the group chucked at her dramatic response. "I'm serious! She's always hanging all over Jason." 

"Who's Jason?" Double-D asked, resting a hand on one hip.

Eddy rolled his eyes. "_Jason_. If he's got a girl who acts like Kevin following him everywhere, I already feel sorry for the guy. And I don't even know him yet." 

Jenn's eyes glazed over. "He's on the soccer team," she sighed in one breath. 

Jen nodded, leaning against Jenn. "He's probably up there," Jen added, gazing dreamily into the Peach Creek Estates cul-de-sac. 

Watching Jen and Jenn get him by Cupid's arrow, Jenny snorted. "That's dumb. You guys are totally obsessed with Jason, and he probably has no clue you exist!"

Jenn turned head while trying to support the weight of Jen, who was still leaning against her. "Like you don't have a crush on him, too!" she answered in an accusing tone. Still mesmerized by Jason, who was up in the cul-de-sac, Jen did nothing. She had been quiet ever since the Eds had appeared. To Jen, there was some enigma about boys, and she always clammed up to avoid sending them away or saying something stupid. Her curiosity about the Eds and boys in general knew no bounds. But it was mostly Ed, as there was something about him that intrigued her. I could have been his simple humor, his easygoing personality, anything. But whatever it was, he fascinated her. He was different from any other boy she had ever met before, and that was fascinating as well. Even though she had only known him a few hours, she could tell that he would have some significance in her life. But Jason had been the sex god of the Peach Creek Estates ever since it had been built. She had secretly adored him all that time, but so had Jenn and Jenny. Jenny had hinted that to him several times, and even Jenn had managed to once or twice. But Jen never could. There was hardly anything she was afraid of, but this was on the list. 

But that wasn't important. Jen decided to put it on hold and deal with her emotions later. "Come on!" she begged, coming back to Earth. "Are we going to introduce these guys to the pigeons **now**?" Jen sounded impatient, but Eddy's mouth dropped open. 

"Do you guys scam people for money, too?" He forced the words out, more confused than ever.

"Hell yeah." Jenny answered, as if it was the most natural thing ever mentioned. "Jen's parents and mine say we're to old for allowance, and we gotta get money somewhere!" 

"If I remember right, they told you to get a job." Jenn corrected.

"This is close enough! Plus, why should you care? You get an allowance!" Jenny laughed, pushing Jenn affectionately. 

The Eds laughed. Double-D smiled hopefully, exposing the gap in his teeth. "I have a paper route," he explained, then added, "If you'd like, I could get you paper routes as well." 

Curious, Jenn smiled back. "Sure, I'd love to. I don't mind getting up early." Double-D nodded, and Jenny walked forward into Peach Creek Estates, and the others followed.

"We are high on the turkey." Jen exclaimed as the procession continued. Ed grinned widely, revealing large white teeth. Out of the corner of her eye, Jen caught sight of its brilliance, and turned her face to look at Ed. As she did, Ed blinked several times in quick succession. He blinked a lot when he was nervous, and his face and neck heated up rapidly. Jen noticed the redness in his face, and smiled warmly, wanting him to relax. The color faded from Ed's face and a calm smile appeared. 

Once the group reached the cul-de-sac, the Eds were shocked by the kids they saw. A girl with light brown hair and a green tube top whipping around on her scooter. A boy with blonde high-lights watched her from the sidewalk, and chatted with her when she slowed to a stop. A younger boy dressed as if he had just come from the army and a girl about the same age running around. Another girl with dark red hair down to her waist carrying pails of water. And a girl dancing around, holding **a piece of wood**.

That did it. Eddy couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "Who's that girl?" Eddy asked, pointing. 

"Which one?" Jenny asked, trying to follow the finger. Since the wood-girl was constantly in motion, it was difficult for Eddy to point at her. 

"Oh, you mean Chelsea." Jenn concluded, not sounding enthusiastic. "Or should I say, Chelsea and Board.'"

"Board?" Ed asked, putting a finger to his lips, thoughtfully. "Sounds kinda like Plank." 

Eddy picked up Ed's response from there. "Yeah. This Johnny kid in our cul-de-sac has a splinter factory named Plank."

"He's like a bad itch, Jen." Ed added, and Jen snickered. Why did he direct so much attention at her?

"Do lots of kids have wooden friends, or are we just slow?" Eddy asked jokingly at the nods of his friends' agreement. 

"Not that I know of." Jenny answered. "But I thought it was just her. At least she won't be weird alone." 

"She's not weird, Jenny. She's special. Remember, you said." Jenn gave Jen a sympathetic glance. 

Chelsea slowly stopped moving, and the group noticed that her eyes were locked on them. Jen waved and Chelsea waved back, then approached. "Hi, Jen." Chelsea sputtered, worn out from her dancing. "Who are these guys? Hmmm? Oh. Board wants to know if they have any single wooden friends." 

More than she knows, Eddy thought to himself. Jen took over. "We found them when we went to the other cul-de-sac. This is Double-D, Eddy, and Ed." 

"I'm Chelsea. And this is Board." The Eds grinned. This was going to be a very unusual day.

As Chelsea toodled off back up to the cul-de-sac, the group of six stepped into the sacred circle of the Peach Creek Estates cul-de-sac. As they did, all the activity just died away. All eyes were on the newcomers. Or maybe on the Jens out of suspicion. It was difficult to tell by their expressions. The girl on the scooter turned from the blonde boy and glided toward the group. "Hello, my name is Ed!" Ed informed her. 

She raised an eyebrow. "Are these your little boyfriends? Did you just pick them up from daycare?" 

The girl's attempts to hold back scornful laughter did not slip beneath Jenny's perception. "No, from Peach Creek. Maybe you've heard of it." Jenn covered her mouth, and Jen just smirked. Snorting, the girl turned, and pushed off from the ground, riding laps around the cul-de-sac. 

"Was that Ashley?" Double-D asked, looking slightly offended. 

Jenn nodded. "Yes. But don't mind her. She thinks she's the Queen of the cul-de-sac, but she has no manners at all."

"I noticed." Double-D answered, watching her fly past them again.

"And is that Jason over there on the sidewalk?" Eddy asked. 

"Yeah," Jen answered in a wispy voice, but seeing Ed's large form standing next to her, she broke her stare at Jason, pretending he didn't exist. Jason no longer seemed quite as interesting. He was a supreme jock, and all the girls in the cul-de-sac admired that about him. Still, Jen was interested by Ed's uncoordinated movements. Jenn was the opposite. She had never felt the same pull toward Jason as her friends. They gravitated toward him, but to her, he was just there. Sure he was cute, but that wasn't enough. Boys in general were like that. Ed was simple and he didn't smell very good, which was definitely undesirable to her. And Eddy was mouthy, which she didn't like either, and knew her parents would never approve of him anyway. But Double-D? She had never met a boy like him before. He was quiet and that made him attractive in an unusual way, but he did tend to fade into the background because of it. But there was something about him that made him come across as simply sketchy. What was it?

Jenny had a hard time taking her eyes off Eddy. Not because he was necessarily the most attractive male she had ever seen, but he reminded Jenny of herself. He said what he felt, not holding anything back. True, he was hot-headed, and it didn't seem to take much to set him off, but Eddy's willingness to express his feelings so freely it was honesty. He was not the type to feel one way and pretend he felt differently. That was a big change for Jenny. And a welcome one.

"Hey," a voice suddenly breathed from behind them.

All six kids jumped, then turned to see Jason. "Oh, hello." Jenn managed to gasp out once she relaxed. 

"What's your name, dude?" Jason asked, looking at Eddy.

A boy band dropout, Eddy thought to himself, looking at Jason. He looks like that guy from the Backwards Boys or In the Sink or whatever. He wanted to tell Jason that, but even Eddy didn't dare to.

"I think I saw you on that one channel, MTV." Ed said, enunciating every syllable carefully. "Can you get our band on tv?" 

Jason looked confused, but the word band' caught his attention. "Whoa, you guys have a band?" he asked, sounding interested.

"Why yes," Double-D answered before Ed could share any more words of wisdom. "It's called LikeHell.'"

Although the name made him slightly uncomfortable, Jason was still curious about the idea of a band. "Have you guys written any songs yet?" Jason asked, eagerly.

"Well, uh " Eddy started slowly. How could he admit to this girl-magnet that his band was really still just a dream? "We're"

"They're painting the drums." Jen interrupted. She could see that Eddy wasn't getting anywhere, and it was true, after all.

"Yeah, that's it!" Eddy exclaimed. "And we don't have any guitars yet, either." Eddy was only now considering that. How could they start a band without guitars?

Jason glanced over his shoulder in the direction of his house. "Well, my mom is a music teacher at Holy Hallelujah Middle School. She always has instruments lying around. Maybe she could fix you up with some." 

"That'd be the shit!" Eddy was thrilled by the offer, and he just couldn't control his words. 

But Jason didn't seem terribly bothered. "No prob. I'll ask her tonight and see what she says." The four boys instantly got sucked into a conversation about bands and school, and just boy stuff. The Jens were thrilled that the Eds were getting along with Jason. They just couldn't see themselves getting along with Nazz that well, though. She was blonde and acted the part with far too many frills. And Kevin was just creepy. But the Eds seemed to have no such problems with Jason. Ashley was a bitch, so there was no blaming them for hating her. 

Even Ashley's best friend wasn't so bad. As she passed in front of the Eds and the Jens, Jenny called out to her. "Hey, Svala! I've got some people to introduce you to!" A tall, slender girl turned her head from where she was folding laundry, and smiled. She came out through the gate in the wooden fence that encircled her home, and approached the Jens and the Eds. 

"Why do you interrupt my drudgery?" she asked in a thick foreign accent. To the Eds' trained ears, she sounded much like Rolf, but perhaps slightly more familiar with the English language. But unlike Rolf, who always dressed as if he had lived in the cul-de-sac his whole life, Svala wore a patchwork skirt, an embroidered shirt to match, and a kerchief over her head. 

"These are some boys Jen, Jenn, and me met this morning: Ed, Eddy, and Double-D."

Svala nodded, eyeing them from head to toe. "Son of a gun, more feeble boys! Will the woman's burden never be lifted? My name is Svala, and I welcome you to the cul-de-sac even so."

With a sturdy smile and a flounce of her skirt, Svala returned to her home. "Uh" Double-D started to say something, but wasn't entirely sure how to get the words out. 

Jenn shrugged. "Me too. No one really understands her. She's always telling us these long, complicated stories about some "old country." And they're always about these powerful women. Whether that's her that's her culture or she's a feminist"

"or a lesbian" Jenny interrupted, giggling and Jen and the Eds into fits of laughter as well.

"I'm not sure." Jenn concluded, trying her hardest to ignore Jenny's interruption. 

Everything was now peaceful. Peach Creek Estates' activity had died down after a period of hustle and bustle at the Eds arrival. Until suddenly a loud voice rang out, "JEN!!!" Jen whirled quickly around to face the direction where the voice came from, then tried to dash for cover.

"Trouble! Big!" Jen screamed, hiding behind Double-D.

"Who is that yelling?" Double-D asked, craning his neck over his shoulder. Jen just shook her head. 

Jason turned to face the boy in camouflage. "God, Joshua. Can you yell any louder?"

"Yeah." Joshua spat at Jason. "If Jen doesn't get her ass back home and vacuum the basement, I will. You were supposed to do that this morning!"

"Don't tell mom, Joshua." Jen pleaded, clasping her hands together. "Please. I'll vacuum it." Ed looked sympathetic. He knew what it was like to have a younger sibling who terrorized him. Seeing it happen to someone else made Ed feel better about all the times Sarah had taken advantage of him, but he still felt bad for Jen. 

Joshua crossed his arms, sneering. "Oh, I'm telling." But before he could open his mouth

"Want to practice yoga with me at my house, Joshua?" a small voice squeaked. Everyone turned to look, and saw a small girl with dark brown eyes and close-cropped black hair, with a shining ring that encircled her head like a halo. She and the Joshua looked to be about the age of Sarah and Jimmy, or maybe a year or two older. 

"All right, Angie." Joshua answered her, sounding eager. The Eds were still looking at her, trying to figure her out. 

Although she was cute, that was not the first thing they noticed. It jumped out at them, smacking them right in the faces: one of her legs was plastic from the knee down. Double-D knew all too well from past experiences that this was the type of thing to look past. Everywhere he went, he had been mocked for one reason or another, and was not about to see anyone else suffer the same horrors. Eddy had gotten enough grief from ridiculing Jimmy's retainer over the years, and this was far worse. Being so overly familiar with the exclamation, "Don't stare!" Eddy just tried to avert his gaze. Ed just didn't understand. What was going on with this girl's leg? It was supposed to look like the other one, but instead, it became a thin black pole where her knee should have been. Ed's eyes were mesmerized by this anomaly, and locked that way so there was no moving them. 

Angie must have felt Ed's stare fixed on her, as she turned her head to face him. She could tell he wasn't looking at her face, he was looking down. "Yes, it's plastic. How about that eyebrow of yours? Is that plastic too?" she spat at him. 

Joshua looked at her in shock. "Angie" In all the years he had known her, Angie rarely lashed out at anyone like this. But it only made sense, as it was very important to her not to be treated differently from anyone else. She wasn't in the least bit ashamed of the way she was. It was the only Angie that had ever been, and it was natural. Ed raised his head quiclky, looking more than a little hurt. He hadn't meant to make this girl angry; he barely knew her. But it was partly just trying to figure something out, and fear that whatever had done that to her might come looking for him

"I'm sorry Angie" he stuttered, wanting to set things right. The Jens, the other two Eds, and even Joshua were speechless. This was captivating. 

"You should be. But really, it's not that bad. I hardly even think about it." She smiled, her whole face lighting up. 

Ed grinned back at her. "Hello, my name is Ed."

"I heard." She answered back, chuckling. She seemed normal enough to Ed, but he was still slightly uneasy about the leg. I'll get used to it over time, he assured himself. After a few moments of chatting, Angie led Joshua off in the direction of her house. 

"Imagine that." Double-D sighed, pondering. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"About what?" Jenny answered.

"About Angie." Double-D reluctantly finished. He hadn't wanted to ask the question, but felt it had to be done.

"Yeah. Maybe then Lumpy here would have known what to expect." Eddy looked at Ed critically, wishing Ed could just understand.

Jenn's blue eyes brightened, as they always did before she spoke. "It's not that big a deal. Well, it is, butno one considers it one. She was born that way, and she doesn't like people to feel sorry for her. I figured that if I told you, she'd assume that I told you to be nice to her or something."

Eddy nodded. "Well, it's a little creepy, and"

Frowning at Eddy, Double-D cut him off. "we understand perfectly. Pity is not a beautiful emotion. It's not a thing for us. Right, fellows?"

Ed smiled, nodding his head vigorously. Although still a little weirded out, Eddy was willing to come to grips with it. The group moved over to the sidewalk and sat on the curb. The sun was shifting in the late afternoon sky, sending flickers of light across the faces of everyone in the cul-de-sac. Eddy, Double-D, Jenn, and Jenny ended up in their own little worls of conversation, but Ed and Jen were quiet. True, Ed was trying to do the speak up and enjoy himself, but he felt bad about making Angie angry at him. He lowered his head, and Jen noticed. "What's wrong, Ed?" Ed shook his head, wanting the conversation to end before it started. "Is it about Angie?" Hesitantly, Ed nodded. "But she isn't mad at you. Most people act like you when they first meet her."

"But she wants to punish bad Ed." Ed moaned glumly.

"No, it's okay. She's really not mad at you." Jen put a hand on Ed's shoulder to console him, to make him realize that he wasn't in trouble, he wasn't bad. His head raised slightly, feeling the hand on his shoulder. He followed the arm until he was looking right at Jen. There was something about the way she looked when she smiled that made Ed smile, too. By that time, most of the kids were going to their homes for dinner.

"We should probably be going as well," Double-D sighed.

"Yeah," Eddy agreed, glumly. "Plus, we still gotta paint that drum."

"And I gotta do Joshua's chores." Jen stared blankly in the direction of her house.

"Well, obviously, we can meet up again tomorrow." Double-D's face glowed at his suggestion.

"Uh huh." Jenny agreed. So, we'll be seeing you then, Eds?" All three boys nodded eagerly. "Great. You know where to find us." She told them, and with one final wave, the Jens left them, going their separate ways. The Eds were still in such a state of shock from the events of the past day that they couldn't even get up to leave for quite some time. 

At last, Eddy rose to his feet. "Hey, we better get going."

"Food good for Ed," Ed said, rubbing his stomach, which growled ungratefully. He and Double-D rose as well. The bright, clear afternoon light had shifted slightly and dimmed; sending colorful flickers across the faces of the Eds. They walked from their spot on the curb and down the street leading away from the Peach Creek Estates cul-de-sac. Looking at each house fascinated them, as it was so similar to their own neighborhood. No words were spoken during the trek back to the open road, or as the boys turned the corner into their own cul-de-sac. When they reached it, it was found deserted as well. Everyone here had surely gone in for dinner as well. 

Finally, Eddy managed to get some words out. "Well, I'll take the drums home tonight and paint them." He had just been so absorbed by the peculiarity of the afternoon that his thoughts were whirling around in his head, trying to sort themselves out. This was a difficult task. 

"Cool." Ed answered. Not much was going on in his head, but he knew that something meaningful had happened, even though he couldn't quite process it. This showed on his face.

Double-D knew the look instantly, understanding Ed's desire to just have some quiet time to himself in his happy place to get himself settled. "Certainly, Eddy. I can't imagine that my parents would be pleased with me painting them in the garage. If you like, I'll help you carry them to your house." 

"Sure. I don't feel like making two trips." Eddy agreed, chuckling slightly.

"What about me?" Ed asked, sounding almost upset.

Double-D shrugged. "Well, I guess you could just go home if you want. Eddy and I can manage the drums." Ed nodded solemnly, and turned, heading back to his home, his eyes focused on the ground.

As he and Double-D continued to walk, Eddy raised an eyebrow, following Ed as he made the trip to his doorstep at the far end of the cul-de-sac. When Ed reached his destination, he turned his head for a final glance at Eddy and Double-D before going inside. He hoped to find them waving to him, or smiling, but instead, they both had odd expressions. Taunting? Disgust? Hate? All three? Ed wasn't bothering to think logically, just analyzing what he made of the innocent gazes. "Fine, I'll go! I know I am the whipping Ed!" he shouted in a moaning voice, and slammed the door behind him. Another shout, undoubtedly Sarah's, followed the slam, and Ed's muffled voice could be heard in response. This continued back and forth for several minutes.

"Do you know what this is all about, perchance?" Double-D asked Eddy, tapping his fingers together. 

"Got me." Eddy answered. "Well, he'll probably bounce back. You know how he is." Double-D's face contorted in worry. What if something was wrong? But how could it be? This had to be one of the best days Ed had had in ages. What could have possibly ruined it for him? The two walked silently to Double-D's house to retrieve the drums, and each carried two over to Eddy's. All this took place without a word. What there was to say wasn't pleasant to talk about, so they chose the option of silence. Once the drums were in Eddy's garage, Eddy finally managed open his mouth, which usually wasn't this difficult for him. "Call you tonight?"

"Why not? You have for the past two nights." Double-D answered half-heartedly. 

"Are you all whiny and pissed too, now? Did you catch it from Ed?" Eddy asked Double-D. 

Unable to tell whether Eddy's response was a joke or serious, Double-D simply answered, "No, but I am worried about him. He doesn't generally act this way."

"Yeah. Do you think he could just be cranky after all he did today?" Eddy asked, almost finding humor in his words. It sounded as if he was talking about a toddler!

Double-D seemed to catch that undertone as well, as his face brightened up slightly. "Perhaps. Well, I should be going. Talk to you later, Eddy." He said, waving.

"See ya, Sockhead!" Eddy called to Double-D. As Double-D disappeared into the distance at the far end of the cul-de-sac, Eddy placed Ed's drums by the wall in the garage. He could come out later and paint them. For now, he went in through the door in the garage for dinner.

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Ed scowled, his lower lip protruding, as he sat in his beanbag chair, waiting for Sarah to call him for dinner. What had he done to make Eddy and Double-D act that way? Thinking as hard as he could, which still wasn't very hard, Ed replayed the day over again in his mind. He couldn't think of anything he had done. He had found the drums for the band, and he also found the Jens. That was two good things in one day; how much more did they expect from him?

One thing Ed was certain he contributed to the trio was his willingness to please. True, he couldn't really come up with scams of his own. He had tried his hand at it once, but the excitement had gotten to him, and he forgot what he was trying to do. And as far as Eddy was concerned, such a scam was hardly a scam at all; it involved no cash. Still, it had been fun. And Ed knew for sure that there was no hope for him to become as adept at engineering and inventing as Double-D. Tinker toys and models were one thing, jet packs and rocket cars were quite another. 

Beginning to wonder what he did contribute to the group, if anything at all, Ed reminded himself of his will to do things and make Eddy and Double-D happy with him. Eddy and Double-D were sure to back down when things turned against them, but nothing would deter Ed. But this seemed trivial; anyone could do the grunt work. Although his friends were not as physically capable, they could handle it if they tried hard enough. Ed saw his tasks as being the simple ones, the robotic ones. No thinking or planning required, just strength and idiocy. 

And what exactly was meant by the names Eddy knew him by? Lumpy? Monobrow? Dr. Browenstein? Were they terms of affection, or something else? Ed had never minded being called Lumpy, but admittedly, Monobrow did get to him sometimes. But what could he say? He had tried to tell Eddy that he didn't the name, but Eddy would just laugh it off, never really answering, just saying, "You're such a Lump." And Double-D would usually just stay out of that altogether, but he never called Ed anything but Ed anyway. What did it all mean? Ed couldn't stop himself from wondering if his "friends" were really his friends anymore. They did seem more distant in recent weeks, and Ed had noticed them pair off much of the time, leaving him to himself. Ed's face was no longer tightened in a scowl, but had sagged into a glum sulk. 

"Ed! Get up here! It's time for dinner!" Sarah's voice echoed down the stairs and into Ed's basement room. But for once, Ed wasn't hungry. How could he be hungry when Eddy and Double-D didn't like him anymore? Still sulky, Ed pushed himself up from his chair, and dragged his feet as he climbed the stairs. Nearly tripping over a dangling shoelace, Ed carefully picked his feet up higher as he climbed. Finally, he reached the top, and plunked down into a chair at the table. It didn't matter where he sat. No one would care. 

Except maybe Sarah. "That's my seat!" Ed rested his head in his hand, looking away from Sarah. Not so much to shut her out and ignore her, but just because. He had had a busy afternoon, and now his worries that Eddy and Double-D no longer liked him sent his stress level through the roof. A growl rumbled from her throat, but no words yet. Ed continued looking away from his sister, ignoring her boiling anger. "Ed"

Sarah's constant interruptions were disturbing Ed's happy place. "Sarah, I was here first. Who cares, anyway?" Ed answered her, sounding more than a little annoyed. Her mouth slowly dropped open in shock. Ed would never say anything like that to her. He always acted afraid when people shouted and fought, and she managed to dominate him most of the time. But now, he was just acting strangely.

Shrugging, Sarah snorted and sat on the couch with her dinner. Ed didn't care. In fact, he was proud of himself for making his sister back down. This was a perk, certainly, and it helped alleviate the stress that had been tying knots in his stomach all evening. He smiled, slightly. As he shoveled food into his mouth, he planned to call Eddy later and tell him about his change of heart

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Eddy sat on the cold cement of the garage, surrounded by opened cans of paint, with the drums spread out in front of him. He eyed them carefully, analyzing its colors, trying to create the perfect design on the face of it. He knew what he wanted. Jenn's idea was a brilliant one, but he was having some difficulty actually picturing what he wanted in his mind. "I should have let Ed do this. He's good with this art crap." Eddy sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Still, he wanted to create their design. 

Just as he finally dipped a fine-tipped paintbrush into the can of black paint, a voice from inside the house echoed to the garage, "Eddy! Phone!" Irritated at being disrupted from his work, but eager to talk to someone, Eddy jumped up and ran inside. 

Eddy: "Hey Doub-- Ed?"

Ed: "Hel-lo, Ed-dy." Eddy was shocked to hear Ed's voice at the other end of the line. After all, Ed had semed so angry before. Why did he sound so happy now?

Eddy: "So uh whatcha doing, Ed?"

Ed: "Uh, I just finished eating."

Eddy: "I **was** getting ready to paint the drum. Until you called, anyway."

Ed: "Well, I just wanted to say sorry."

Eddy: *Rolls eyes* "Forget sorry! I just wanna know why!"

Ed: "Why what?"

Eddy: "Why you were all, Sure, whatever,' and all that whipping Ed stuff."

Ed: "I thought you guys didn't like me anymore."

Eddy: "What gave you that idea?

Ed: "I dunno. You and Double-D are always together. It's like you don't notice me."

*Pause* Eddy's mouth dropped open. Ed sounded so deep. And much more thoughtful and perceptive than Eddy had given him credit for. Considering the past day, Eddy tried to figure out where exactly Ed was coming from. Even if Ed did have a reason for his claim, Eddy was still unsure how he had given it off so unintentionally. He had never meant to exclude Ed; especially as the two got along far better than either did with Double-D. But the fact that Ed would even come to such a conclusion was remarkable for him.

Eddy: "What do you mean?"

Ed: "Well, you and him are always talking to each other and doing stuff and you never talk to me."

Eddy: *sighs* "Sorry, Ed. I feel like Double-D right now, but I don't want you screwing yourself over just because of me being me."

Ed: "Okay. So you're not mad at me?"

Eddy: "Nope."

Ed: "Cool."

Eddy: "Do you think Jason will be able to get guitars for us?"

Ed: "Guitar for Ed!" 

Eddy: "Yeah. Me and you can play guitar. We can get Double-D to play drums, I bet."

Ed: "Do you know how to play guitar, Eddy?"

Eddy: *pauses* "Uh, my brother taught me a little. Hey, his old guitar might still be in his room. I should check later."

Ed: "It's all gravy. I'll go now because you're probably busy."

Eddy: "If you want to come over and help, you can."

Ed: *considers* "No, Eddy. I'm kinda tired."

Eddy: "From going to the other cul-de-sac and shit?"

Ed: "Yeah. Hey, do you think the Jens like us?"

Eddy: "Why wouldn't they? We're the best prime cuts of meat around here!"

Ed: "I'm hungry." 

Eddy: "Me too."

Ed: "Want me to let you go now?"

Eddy: "If you want to go."

Ed: "Mmmm All right. See you tomorrow!"

Eddy: "See ya."

*click*

Eddy dashed back out to the garage the second he hung up the phone. The drums were still there waiting for him, so he sat among them. Taking up his paintbrush, Eddy quickly analyzed the drum one more time, then dipped his brush into the black paint. His strokes were thick but smooth as he painted the name. The "L" in "like" was fairly large, and unknowingly, the few letters that followed it became increasingly smaller. When he had noticed this, Eddy could only fear that he had ruined the design, then came up with a way to make it an advantage. Continuing from where he had left off, Eddy made each letter smaller than the last, which proved to be an interesting effect. 

Eddy stood back, admiring his work. It had a professional appearance, if nothing else. Now for the flames. A can of red paint and a can of yellow paint sat open, and after quickly rinsing the black paint from his brush, Eddy dipped it into the yellow paint. He spiraled flames, which looked almost like solar flares, standing out boldly next to the name written in black. Then, adding red, he mixed the two colors together. His flames looked as if they could set the drum on fire, he had put so much life into them. Stacking the drums by the wall once more, Eddy sighed, proudly and returned to the cool comfort of his room. 

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Double-D's fingers delicately adjusted the focus of his microscope. "Inconclusive. A failure yet again," he sighed to himself, examining a leaf. He had been trying to find mutations in the leaf's cells, but after half an hour of perfectly ordinary cells, Double-D was ready to call off the search. Removing the slide, he looked at it with disdain, and placed it in a box with dozens of other slides. "What is the point of an electron microscope if there's nothing worth looking at?" he asked, looking at the ceiling. How could he possibly be so bored? It was only the second day of summer vacation ending! Sure, by the end of the second month, this could be expected, but surely not now!

Double-D flopped down on his bed, his arms dangling over the edge. He yawned, letting his eyes shut halfway, and started to drift off until the ringing of the phone roused him. "Huh?" he grunted, opening his eyes wide. Rolling over onto his back, Double-D picked up the phone with a limp arm, bringing it to his ear. 

Double-D: "Hello?" he yawned into the phone, barely awake. 

Eddy: "Damn, Double-D, it's only 8 o'clock! How can you be tired already?"

Double-D: "Well, you must admit, it was quite a day."

Eddy: "Yeah. Ed sounded kinda beat when he called me."

Double-D: "Ed called you?"

Eddy: "Yeah. Said some stuff about being sorry."

Double-D: "For what, may I ask? His strange behavior?"

Eddy: "That's what he said. Like he thought we didn't like him anymore or something."

Double-D: "I'll never understand the way his mind works."

Eddy: "Like I can either. Oh, I got the drum painted."

Double-D: "Excellent!"

Eddy: "I think it's awesome, but I don't know what you'll think of it."

Double-D: "I'm sure I'll just love it."

Eddy: "Tomorrow we'll find out. And I'm going to check my brother's room to see if his old guitar is still there. Then we can use that, and maybe that Jason kid will have another one we could have."

Double-D: "Perhaps. And we'll get to see the Jens again."

Eddy: "You and Ed! Why are you guys so obsessed with the Jens?"

Double-D: "As if you aren't!"

Eddy: "Well, I'm not saying I'm not, but you two must be thinking about them an awful lot."

Double-D: "Why wouldn't we? They're the first girls who haven't completely humiliated us!"

Eddy: "Yeah, I guess." Eddy had always had his eye on Nazz, hoping that someday he could get her to ditch Kevin. Although he had to admit to himself that that was not about to happen anytime soon, it was an incredible dream. 

Double-D: "And I think Jenny might *like* you"

Eddy: *sighs* "Why wouldn't she?" he answered, sensing familiarity in the conversation.

Double-D: "Well, I should be getting off the phone. Father left me a sticky note saying that I should be off the phone by 8:30."

Eddy: "All right Sockhead. Talk to you later."

Double-D: "Good bye."

Eddy: "Later."

*click*

Double-D hung up the phone, and although he wasn't in any hurry to end his conversation with Eddy, he was tired, and he was more than ready to relax for a change. Sliding the front of his hat down over his eyes, Double-D crossed one arm over his stomach, and a tiny smile etched its way across his face. Today had been kind to him, as had the whole year. Next year would have to be more of the same; at least he hoped it would be. This was far and away the best his life had ever been to him

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Eddy climbed the stairs, which creaked beneath his feet. Once he reached the top, he considered what he was about to do. What if his brother came back? True, he wouldn't be bothered too much by the fact that Eddy had entered his room, but that didn't matter. Eddy was still not at all keen on the idea. His brother was practically a god on earth by Eddy's standards, so it seemed like a dreadful sin to be intruding on the holy ground. But, sucking in his stomach and breathing deeply, Eddy crossed the threshold, entering the forbidden territory of his brother's room.


	4. Life Flashed Before my Eds

Chapter 4

Life Flashed Before my Eds

Puzzled, Ed sat leaning against the wall in his basement room. An unusually serious expression crossed his face, as he tried to figure out what was bothering him so much. He had thought about Jen almost constantly since he met her, except for his brief phase of worry that Eddy and Double-D no longer liked him. Now that he actually had the time to consider it, Ed had to admit to himself that there was something about her that gave him "that crawly feeling". He remembered back when he was younger, and Nazz made him feel that way. Now he could plainly see that this was a far stronger crawly feeling. This was love. Or, at least the closest thing to love that Ed knew of.

True, he had only known Jen for a day, but still, there was something about her that just jumped out at him, made him want her to be with him all the time. The only problem was, every time he considered that, a bad feeling came to him as well. A pulsing throb, stirring up his blood. Sarah seemed to come to mind with this feeling, and Ed could imagine her saying, "You've only known her a day! How could you possibly think you're in love?" He could even imagine hearing, "Why would anyone love you?" as well, but he tried to shut that thought out. Surely Eddy wasn't so ill at ease about this.

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The door creaked open, after having remained closed for years. Ed was right in thinking that Eddy was not anxious about the Jens; at least not at the moment. Later, after his mission to this forbidden threshold had ended, sure, he swould have his own self-debate. But now, Eddy had other things on his mind. 

Eddy peeked into his brother's blackened room cautiously, as if he believed his brother would suddenly jump out of the shadows. Trying to reassure himself of this just wasn't enough. There was something menacing about his brother's room, and he wasn't quite sure what. Possibly the reason was the outcome of his last visit here years earlier. Eddy remembered that because Ed had found the treasure map in this room, he ended up in the Kankers' clutches. And if it involved the Kankers, it couldn't be a good thing.

When he turned on the light, Eddy discovered everything was just as he had left it the last time, except the room was darker and dirtier. A thick layer of dust had settled over things, but it didn't cover up the emptiness the room had about it now, with Eddy's brother gone. After taking it all in for a moment, Eddy started his search. Hopefully, his brother's guitar was still there. But where would it be?

Opening the trunk of the red car his brother left against the wall, Eddy scoured it for the familiar guitar case. It wasn't there. All that was there was some old clothes and Playboy magazines. Eddy laughed to himself. "I turned fourteen last year. I should have asked if we could take the car out last year. I'll get my permit soon, anyway. And of course, his little snake got out again." Shutting the trunk, dust flew up from the car and the rug, then settled again. Spitting out the dust that had landed in his mouth, Eddy kept looking. 

The harp still stood over by the fake window, and Eddy ran a finger gently across the strings. It sounded nice, but not right for a garage band. And Eddy did not plan to play a harp in public anytime soon. Double-D probably would, but that was him. Under the bed was more of the same, magazines, clothes, and various other objects. Eddy squeezed as much of himself under the bed as would fit, and sifted through his finds. Eddy opened a magazine with "Whorgasm" written across the front in huge letters. After he was a few pages in, Eddy was not surprised his brother had kept this magazine for himself. Two naked girls touching each others' breasts was enough to get Eddy hooked. 

By the time Eddy had flipped through nearly all of his brother's magazines, he had long since forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. He left all the magazines in a big pile, then sat on his brother's bed, trying to remember. The sight of the harp brought it all back. Guitar. That was it. But where else was there to look? There wasn't much in his brother's room! Without a closet, he only places he could hide things were under his bed and in the car or **under the car.** Eddy bounced off the bed and onto his feet, and dove down to look under the car.

Sure enough, the space there was cluttered with the same array of junk that filled the car and the space under the bed. "Damn, how many magazines does this guy need?" Eddy gasped in shock. And the discovery of several condoms, in varying degrees of use, was not a welcome one. "Hasn't he ever heard of garbage cans? Well, I guess this explains why he always turned up the fucking radio all the way when his girlfriends came over. It wasn't the only thing going all the way!" Eddy was more than irritated by now. But a large black thing pushed up against the wall lifted his hopes. Carefully reaching past all the *objects* that blocked it, Eddy grabbed the side of it, pulling it closer. As he did, he could see a handle. This had to be it! 

Once he had retrieved it and blew the dust off, he could see the familiar stickers that his brother had plastered all over it. And opening it revealed a sleek black and red guitar. He remembered quite well how long it took his brother to be able to afford it. Silently stroking the glossy instrument, Eddy thanked him for every cent of it.

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Finally, the darkness that shrouded and hid the thoughts that were bothering Ed so much lifted. The light came on, and Ed could tell that Sarah did have a definite impact on his feelings. Not so much those for Jen, but those for love in general. What was it? It could have been that time Sarah pursued a love interest. And it wasn't Double-D

__

"Do you think he'll say yes?" Sarah asked Ed eagerly, clearly expecting a typical Ed-brand answer.

"Well I don't know. But I think you have to ask him first." Ed didn't know what else to say, as he couldn't see the future. And what could he tell her, anyway? That it was quite possible that he would refuse her? No, that would cause pain. Horrible pain. 

Sarah was all decked out in her best, as it was Christmas Eve, and the entire cul-de-sac was going over to Nazz's house. Preening in front of the mirror, Sarah twirled gracefully in her green velvet dress. She was clearly thrilled with how she looked. Ed was unimpressed, but said nothing. It was just Sarah, after all. She always looked pretty much the same to him. Ed was wearing a suit, which made him hot and itchy. He hadn't wanted to wear it, but his mother insisted that he look "presentable." And his shoes felt like they were made of cement! They were almost too heavy to lift! Ed sighed deeply, fiddling with his tie. It was going to be a long night. And what would Eddy say when he saw him?

The snow was falling lightly, so unless Ed stood completely still, he couldn't even see it. He and Sarah carefully tramped through the few inches of snow on the ground. Nazz has a party for everything, Ed thought to himself. Not that he minded; he liked being around Nazz. Ed was having a difficult time keeping the snow from getting inside his large shoes. Too often, when he walked through snow in shoes, it melted, leaving his socks wet and uncomfortable. There was no way to prevent it, but it looked as though Sarah wasn't having much luck either. It wasn't far enough to need to drive, but it was farther than Ed wanted to walk. But the comforting glow of the light from Nazz's living room made him keep going

There was nothing particularly memorable about the evening, at least until Sarah's big moment. Mostly, Ed just hung around Eddy and Double-D, getting on Kevin's nerves and trying to chat up Nazz. Near the end of the party, though, Sarah was on a mission. The three Eds were sitting on the couch by the wall drinking punch, when Ed heard a noise behind him. Eddy and Double-D were talking about something else, so they weren't paying much attention to Ed. Looking over the back of the couch, Ed could see Sarah in the adjoining dining room. It was hard to make out what she was saying, but it was clear to Ed that she was acting on her plan. Ed crossed his fingers, hoping Jimmy would go along with it.

Jimmy looked cute, as he often did. What Sarah saw in him, Ed wasn't entirely sure. Maybe it was just because they had been friends so long. Ed held his breath, wanting to take in every word. Sarah smiled darkly, whispering something that Ed had to strain to catch a word of. "well, I would you" Every muscle in Ed's body went taut as he waited for a response from Jimmy. Jimmy's head moved, but he was shaking his head, saying no. Ed covered his eyes, not wanting to know what Sarah was going to do to Jimmy for that one. 

Sarah had been telling Ed over and over all week about how she was going to ask Jimmy out at the party. She had even been reasonably nice, treating Ed with a certain amount of respect. No more than could be expected from her, but still, it was a big step. After all that poor Sarah! How would she react to Jimmy for saying no? And more importantly, Ed wondered to himself, what's she going to do to me?

He could see her face fall from a look of pride down into dejection. She turned away from Jimmy quickly, and Ed had to jump back so he was facing forward again. His abrupt, jerky movement alerted Eddy and Double-D. "Ed, what was that for? Were you thinking too hard again?" Ed was already wiping sweat from the back of his neck, and trying not to look too fazed by what he had seen. What if Sarah found out he had been spying? It was just innocent curiosity, Ed told himself. There was nothing else going on. What was I supposed to do?

Shaking his head, Ed shivered a little. But it was over. And Sarah would have to get over it. Eventually. The tapping of small shoes came echoing from the dark room behind, and Sarah appeared. Her head was raised, and she refused to look at anyone, especially Jimmy, now. Jimmy came through the door soon after, calling Sarah's name, pleading with her to return, but that wasn't about to happen. "Sarah!" his voice squeaked, but she was no longer in sight. Jimmy's shoulders slumped, and he trudged over to the other side of the room.

"What, may I ask, was that about?" Double-D asked, looking at Eddy, who shrugged. "Ed?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

In agreement, Eddy looked at Ed as well. "Yeah, Lumpy. She's your sister. What's the deal?"

Ed didn't want to tell them or anyone else what had been going on. Sarah was not the type who would tolerate people publicizing her misfortunes. And this would be no exception. "I dunno." Ed answered. Although he didn't sound at all convincing, the other two Eds let the matter drop. Ed tried to replay the scene, but could clearly tell that there were pieces missing. He had missed most of the incident, so even he wasn't entirely sure what had happened. Since it was Sarah, after all, Ed was fearful, but curious. 

Later, when it was time for everyone to go home, Ed said goodbye to his friends, and headed for the door. Sarah was not far behind him, and followed him once he was beyond the door. They managed to slog through the drifts of snow and make it back to their house. Ed kicked his shoes off with some difficulty; they felt even heavier than when he had first put them on. Clumps of snow fell from them, hitting the floor and melting almost instantly, leaving the floor glistening with water. Ed carefully avoided the puddles in his already drenched socks, and crashed into a chair, struggling with his tie in an effort to remove it. 

Coming into the living room, Sarah plunked herself down on the couch, her head resting on her hands. She stared blankly ahead, and a sigh escaped her throat, as she gave no effort to hold it back. Ed was puzzled. Sarah was usually either devastated or simply furious after any sort of thing that didn't go her way. This apathetic stare was new for her, and he was curious to find out what it meant. "Uh, Sarah?" he asked, nervously. Ed knew he had to go about this in just the right way if he wanted to know what happened without being beaten up for it.

"Mmm-hmmm?" Sarah's voice had no emotion in it. Usually, her speech was so lively and loud. Now, she wasn't even looking at Ed. 

"So what happened?" All of Ed's muscles tightened in anticipation of her response. Would she be okay with it, or would she walk right up and pound him?

After a light sigh, Sarah looked over at Ed and answered. "I knew you were going to ask sometime. After I've been bitching about this all week. I was just so sure Jimmy would say yes. I don't even know what it is, me and him have been friends forever. But now, I just want him to be more than a friend, do you get what I'm saying?" Sarah asked the question because she didn't want to reach the end of her explanation to find that Ed had gotten completely lost halfway through. Still watching her intently, Ed nodded. He hung onto every word.

"But I didn't want anyone else to find out about it right then. I wanted Jimmy to tell them when we were"

"Together?" Ed finished the sentence for her.

"Yeah." Sarah agreed. She was surprised at Ed's seriousness; after all, she had never seen him act like this before. He did have a serious side after all; he just didn't show it often. 

"So I took him into another room where we would be alone. I could tell he was wondering why, but I couldn't just tell him! We talked about the usual things, and it was as natural as anything else. Then, after we hadn't said anything for awhile, I had to ask." Ed's eyes widened. This was the controversial part, and the part that he deemed most important. "And he gave the answer I hoped I would never get, I like you, Sarah, but I don't like you that way. And I don't want to ruin our friendship.' I wanted to tell him to just forget it, but I couldn't stand to be around him."

Ed wanted to give her some good, solid advice, but he had none to give. This was practically a foreign language to him. He knew nothing about relationships and the transition from friend to boyfriend. Truly, he was old enough to be learning, but he hadn't yet. What could he do now? 

Feel bad, certainly, and he did. Even though Sarah was never that nice to him, not by a long shot, she was still his sister, and he did want her to be happy. He got out of his chair and sat on the couch next to her. The look of devastated rejection was plain to see on her face, but still it was masked by a layer of indifference. "It is okay, Sarah," he began, trying his best to sound comforting. "He isn't good enough for you."

Sarah flashed a half-smile at Ed, but she could easily see through his attempt to make her feel better. "You don't understand," she said, gently. "You don't know what it's like to be in my place. Maybe someday a girl you like will refuse you. Until you've been through something like that, you can't know how I feel. Not that I really want you to."

Not that I really want you to. Those words were a shock to Ed, because they came from Sarah. He never would have guessed that she would care how he felt. This was only last Christmas, less than six months earlier, so the memory was still fairly fresh in his mind. Sarah and Jimmy had long since gotten over it, and were friends again, but Ed knew that Sarah was still a little bitter over it. Ed couldn't help but wonder about the things she said. "Until you've been through something like this" That part was what got to him the most. Does that mean that someday he would go through being rejected by a girl? Would it be Jen? 

The thought of trying to turn Jen from friend to girlfriend now seemed far less appealing. Ed had no clue how to approach it, anyway. What would he say? Even Ed could tell that, "So, wanna go out with me?" wasn't going to cut it. He had to do something a little more inventive. And later. He had a whole summer, after all, so there was no rush. Besides, it had only been one day. Who knows, he might not care for her in a week. It was clear to Ed that there was no hope of tackling the obstacle anytime soon, but someday, someday he would have to. The only problem was that when Ed looked at his calendar, "someday" was not there.

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Eddy's eyes slowly opened as the sun poured into his room. He had to squint from the brightness, and he could tell he slept way to long. The clock read 10:07, which wasn't bad for him, even now. Usually, he was lucky to wake up by noon. After a stretch, Eddy forced himself out of bed and wandered over in the direction of where he had left his guitar the night before. Stopping in his tracks, Eddy couldn't help but wonder _where it had gone!!!_

Too tired to get overly upset about it, Eddy looked all over his room. It was big, and it was messy. It would have to be somewhere, he remembered bringing it in and propping it up against the turntable before he went to bed. There wasn't time for anything to have happened to it, yet it was gone, case and all. Sure, Eddy would manage without it, but would his brother be able to take it that well?

As he stopped to think, Eddy could hear movement coming from the direction of the kitchen. Eddy bolted out through his door, screeching to a halt in the kitchen. Ed was sitting on the floor surrounded by a mountain of food, and he had smeared something all over his face. Double-D was sitting on a chair strumming Eddy's brother's guitar with a careful hand. "Double-D? Ed? What the hell are ya doing here?" The two intruders looked up in surprise, and Double-D turned pale. "And why did you take my brother's guitar?"

"Am I in trouble now?" Ed asked, nervously, wiping at his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket. 

"No, no, Ed." Double-D assured him. "Allow me to explain."

"You better." Eddy snorted, still sounding tired.

Double-D gently laid the guitar back in its case, then folded his hands in his lap, facing Eddy. "Well, we wanted to see how the drum looked, but when we rang the doorbell, no one answered. We went around back to your room and came in through the door there. You weren't awake yet, so we didn't want to wake you up. But when I saw that guitar case Well, Ed was hungry, so we arrived here. I know it wasn't right to do this without asking permission, but" Double-D's speech got faster and more frantic as he neared the close of his explanation, then his voice just trailed away.

Still irritated, Eddy's expression did not change. But finding his guitar again was enough for him, and the fire in his face went out. "Okay. Just clean up Ed's plunder here." Eddy answered sarcastically, pointing at the food that surrounded Ed. 

"Of course. It is your house after all. Ed, clean that up." Double-D answered, and looked at Ed's confused face. He must have shoved something large into his mouth, as his cheeks were stretched out, making him look like a chipmunk. "Ed," Double-D rested his hands on his hips, waiting for Ed to do what he was told. Reluctantly, Ed managed to stash most of what he hadn't eaten back where he found it, or in a pocket. He wanted to tell them all he had thought about the night before, but there was really no way to explain it. They would stare at him like he had three heads, not believing that he had actually given it so much consideration.

"So, wanna see the drum now?" Eddy asked, motioning toward the garage.

"Absolutely." Double-D nodded, following Eddy to the door, and Ed wandered out behind them.

The garage was cool and refreshing after being in Eddy's muggy house all that time. The oppressive grey of the walls and floor were unpleasant, but the absence of both cars told confirmed the fact that Eddy's parents were gone as well. No wonder no one had answered the doorbell. Over at the far wall, the drums sat together, one with the name "LikeHell" written in black letters, and flames around the edges. "Yes, I know it's awesome," Eddy sighed, contentedly. "But what else would you expect from me?" 

"Cooool." Ed was bent down, so his face was only inches from the face of the drum. "I like it."

"I like it as well," Double-D added, pleased with Eddy's work. "Jenn's suggestion was exactly what this called for. Oh, speaking of Jenn"

"Us to Peach Creek Estates." Ed finished, eager to go.

"Hold on, I still gotta get dressed!" Eddy answered, hearing the impatience in their voices. It doesn't hurt to keep them waiting. They'll just want us more." Grinning, Eddy wanted to convince himself that it was true, but he couldn't be sure. Eddy dashed back into the house, more than ready to get off the freezing concrete of the garage. As he passed the kitchen, he closed the guitar case and carried it back to his room with him. "I'm going to put this somewhere only I will remember." Once he had reached his room, Eddy opened the doors at the front of the turntable, and managed to get the guitar inside. "I better not forget it's there," Eddy warned himself. "Well, the record player is up there, so that should make me remember."

Quickly, Eddy tore his pajamas off, tossing them onto his bed. Grabbing some clothes from the floor of his room, Eddy ran back out to the garage where Ed and Double-D waited. Ed was sitting behind the drums, beating on them rhythmically with the sticks. When Eddy appeared in the door of the garage, Ed stopped playing and twirled the sticks in his hands. Double-D was standing off to the side with an impressed look on his face. "That was very good, Ed!" he exclaimed, clapping. 

Eddy had to agree. What he had heard was not bad for someone like Ed, who didn't seem to have much musical talent. "Whoa, Ringo. You should be our drummer!" The sticks fell from Ed's hands, and a disappointed look came to Ed's face. 

"What's the matter? Eddy simply said that you"

"I want to play guitar." Double-D's compliments were not enough to deter Ed from wanting to be the guitar player he had dreamed he would be. 

Not about to lose this opportunity, Eddy planned to make Ed the drummer whether he wanted to be or not. Plus, Double-D wasn't at all bad with a guitar. "Ed, you're way better than either of us. Isn't it good enough to be in a band?"

When Ed looked skeptical, Double-D could tell that Eddy was out of ideas. "Ed, if you agree to be our drummer, I'll give you a rubber band!"

"Oh no" Eddy muttered under his breath.

Ed's face brightened. "Okay. I'll add it to my collection."

Leaning against the wall, Eddy snickered. "Give him a rubber band from your braces. I bet he'd like that." 

Double-D grinned, exposing the metal. "No, I'll search through my odds and ends. I'm sure I have some."

"You better or we won't have a drummer." Eddy walked over to Ed, punching him playfully in the shoulder.

A fuzzy feeling filtered through Ed's body; he enjoyed being talked about like this. "I can take them home later. And I won't lose them this time. It's all gravy."

"'It's all gravy?'" Eddy repeated, trying to understand what Ed meant. 

"Yeah. Gravy." 

"Are we going to Peach Creek Estates or not?" Eddy asked, becoming increasingly impatient. 

"Of course." Double-D agreed.

"Gravy." 

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Jenn brushed her dark hair slowly, carefully. She had a desire to look better than ever. Although she always made it a priority to keep up appearances, it was never this important. And she wasn't even sure why. "Jenn, hurry up. You've been sitting there brushing your hair since I got here. Can we go already?" Jenny was pacing around Jenn's small, tidy room, sounding bored.

"Please, be patient. We aren't going anyplace." Jenn turned her head as she spoke to Jenny, then turned back around, still brushing. 

Jen was in the room as well, sprawled across Jenn's bed. She stared blankly up at the ceiling, like there was actually something up there to look at. Jenny backed up, planning to sit on the edge of the bed. Jen knew she wouldn't have had time to move, but her scream kept Jenny from sitting down. "Geez, Jen! Did you have to do that? What are you doing, anyway?"

Still staring intently at the ceiling, Jen sighed. "Pretending I'm Elvis."

Confused, Jenny looked to Jenn for an explanation. "Oh, she read somewhere that Elvis had a tv on his ceiling so he could watch it before he went to sleep. That did seem to fascinate her."

"Aww, another commercial!" Jen groaned, flipping over onto her stomach, a big grin on her face.

"I will never understand you." Jenny sighed, smiling back at Jen. "So do you think they'll come back?" she asked Jenn eagerly.

"Do I think who will come back?" Jenn wasn't really listening, and her absentminded response irritated Jenny.

"Ed, Eddy, and Double-D! How could you forget?" 

"I didn't." Jenn answered. "But they're guys! What do you expect?"

Jen looked thoughtful, which was rare for her. "You know, she's right, Jenny. Do you think they'll come back?"

"What's the matter with you? Damn right they will! And if they don't, we'll just have to go over there and find them." Jen and Jenn admired Jenny's determination, but found it a little intimidating. "So let's go!" Reluctantly, Jenn put the brush down and followed Jen and Jenny as they raced down the stairs.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

The Eds filed through the path in the brush, one after the other reaching the other cul-de-sac. They tried to take it all in, remembering everything that had happened the day before. It was incredible; in less than one day, so much had changed for the three. Money and even jawbreakers were now a low priority, paling in the face of this new discovery. That reminded Eddy of the band, which had been for the most part forgotten. 

"Let's see if we can find Jason. Maybe he's got a guitar for us." Eddy certainly hoped he would; then the band would be ready to go. And they could start on a first song. They passed through the gap between Jenny and Ashley's houses, and found the cul-de-sac bustling. Looking around carefully, they spotted Jason.

As they approached him, the other kids in the cul-de-sac looked up to see who had appeared, but seeing that it was only them again, they went back to what they were doing before. Not one of them had been terribly impressed with the Eds at their time of their arrival the day before, so their return was no more important. The Jens had been more than pleased with them, though, and Chelsea and Angie were willing to give just about anyone a chance. So was Jason, but being a guy, of course he would welcome them. Joshua was the only other boy in the cul-de-sac, and the two didn't often mix. 

"Hey Jason!" Eddy called to him, catching his attention instantly. Looking up from the game he held in his hands, Jason grinned at them. Jason looked so airbrushed and clean cut, like he had walked off the page of a magazine. It intimidated all three Eds, Eddy in particular, to be around him.

"Hey guys! I talked to my mom last night, and she said she's got a guitar you can use. It's kinda old, but it still sounds good."

Double-D grinned. "Thank you very much, but are you sure your mother doesn't need it?"

"Nah, she just got some new ones. It's cool." Jason answered him. All three Eds were thrilled at the news. The band was ready! Now all they needed was a song

"Thanks, Jas. Can we take it home when we go later?"

"Sure. It's in my garage. You can come get it when you're ready."

Ed was looking around Peach Creek Estates absentmindedly as his friends talked to Jason, not really paying much attention to anything. Finding out about the guitar was great, but Ed still wanted to just look all around the cul-de-sac, and take everything in. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some shapes of people coming right in his direction. He tried to look right at them, but the sun was coming from behind them, forcing Ed to shut his eyes quickly. Watching them with squinted eyes, he could see that these were three outlines of girls. And although the idea of three girls together instantly made him think of the Kankers, and want to hide, he was sure that these were not the Kankers. 

He was right. They were the Jens. Eddy and Double-D noticed Ed's stare off into space, and following the blank stare, they also shielded their eyes, then took in the shapes of the three Jens. Eddy waved, and saw a wave in return. Jenny eyed Jason up and down. Jason was already on his way to somewhere else, and disappeared into a house. Ignoring him, Jenny turned her attention to Eddy. "Hey, Eddy. Whatsup?" 

Eddy blushed, rubbing the back of his neck and hoping he didn't look as awkward as he felt. "Jenny uh not much. Uh Ed's got three nipples like that bad guy in James Bond!" he blurted out, the slapped a hand over his mouth. Eddy wanted to dive into a hole and figure out why he always said Ed had a third nipple when he was nervous. It was the most idiotic thing he could imagine, but

Jenny burst out laughing, and Jenn put a hand to her mouth, as she erupted in a fit of giggles as well. Jen laughed for a minute, then stopped. "Can I see?" she asked Ed. Ed had been laughing as well, but he stopped as quickly as he had started. His face went pink, and he didn't know whether to be happy or very scared. Somehow, the memory of Sarah didn't seem to apply here. This wasn't Sarah and Jimmy, this was Ed and Jen. Still, the thought of Sarah's anguish over Jimmy's refusal made Ed think twice before saying anything of the sort to Jen. And of course, he had to admit to himself that Jen was still new to him. In a few weeks, maybe, but not now. 

Shrugging, he smiled and folded his hands. Jen's eyes brightened as she leaned over and whispered to Jenny. "Jenny, aren't you gonna"

Although she knew no one else could hear Jen's words, or was even listening, Jenny rolled her eyes and interrupted Jen. "Blah blah blah." She spoke slowly, using a hand as a puppet to mouth the words. 

Jenn glanced briefly at her watch. "It's almost noon. Do you guys want to come over to my house to eat?" 

The other two Jens quickly nodded, and Jen broke into a chant. "Food food food food food food food!"

"Hey Ed, isn't that what you do when you're hungry?" Eddy whispered in Ed's ear and elbowing him in the side. "You got a lot in common with Blondie here." Double-D seemed to be too absorbed in shock to say a word, as he had hardly spoken at all since he arrived in Peach Creek Estates. But from where he stood, he could hear Eddy's words. 

"I concur. But you and Jenny"

Not sure he wanted to hear the rest, Eddy cut Double-D off. "Blah blah blah."

"do that." Double-D finished. It was true. Eddy hadn't been paying attention, and he had certainly walked into that. Staring at the pavement, Eddy had to admit to himself that Jenny was more than just another girl he fell for. He hadn't even noticed it until just now. She had just seemed so plain and ordinary, but she was so colorful. Unlike Nazz, who kept herself hidden with a false personality and left you guessing at her real one, Jenny was open. What you see was what you got. That was appealing. 

"Ready when you are," Double-D assured Jenn, and the Jens and the Eds left the cul-de-sac in the direction of Jenn's house. This was a welcome move, as the sun was moving higher in the sky. For early June, it was humid, and the air almost seemed too thick to walk through. Upon reaching the air-conditioned threshold of Jenn's house, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The Eds scanned the house, wide-eyed. This was the first house in Peach Creek Estates they had actually been inside, so they were instantly intrigued by it. Right away, they could see that it was far grander than anything in their cul-de-sac. It made sense, as Peach Creek Estates was an expensive development. Ed and Eddy didn't seem at all bothered, but Double-D's neck heated up. That didn't matter to Double-D. Compared to this, Double-D saw homes in his own cul-de-sac as nothing short of trash heaps with windows. That wasn't the case in the least, but being exposed to this grandeur was intimidating. 

Jenn had already left for the kitchen, but Jen and Jenny remained, and marveled at the Eds' fascination with Jenn's house. They boys stood with their mouths agape, and turned slowly to see everything. Jenny finally spoke. "So, uh, want to eat now?" That quickly, the Eds came back to reality. The mention of food was enough to do it. 

"Take me to your refrigerator." Ed looked around, trying to figure out where the kitchen would be. 

"Ed, manners." Double-D cautioned him with a warning tone. "We are guests, remember."

"Awww, Double-D" Ed began, but Jen and Jenny were already on their way. They led the three Eds into a large room with a glass table in the center. Alabaster columns stood at the edge of the room, and the walls were painted with a delicate bamboo print. This came as a shock to all three Eds. Everything was so glamorous and grand. More accustomed to something simple and homey, the Eds could tell that this cul-de-sac, although right next to theirs, was drastically different. But this was the least of their worries in Peach Creek Estates. It was just one more thing to get used to.

The biggest problem was the fact that these were girls who were introducing them to the world of Peach Creek Estates. But they hardly seemed like the girls they were accustomed to. The Eds typical idea of a girl consisted of a creature with long, flowing hair, beautiful eyes, and a thin body encased in trendy clothes. Not that these girls weren't in their own way attractive; they were simply a new brand of girl. A refreshing change for the Eds. These girls were attainable. 

Piling into the kitchen, the Eds watched Jenn dig through the refrigerator. "So, do you guys want hot dogs or Spaghetti-os?" Jenn asked, holding up a package of hot dog buns. Jenn standing in the middle of this fancy kitchen holding the hot dog buns was just an amusing sight. The Eds nodded, glad of this small comfort. In a kitchen like this, they expected to be offered caviar and finger sandwiches.

Jenn placed the hot dog after hot dog into the microwave, and put each on a plate. "We'll have to go outside with these. I'm actually not allowed to eat in here unless we have company over. Plus, I'm not allowed to have anyone over when mother and father aren't home." Jen and Jenny rolled their eyes. This was the usual speech they heard from Jenn.

"And especially _boys_." Jenny added, emphasizing the last word. The Eds went pink and grabbed their hot dogs and hurried out the door. 

Jenn scowled at Jenny. "You didn't have to say that, you know."

"Sor-ry! It's true, though. You'd end up grounded for — " Jenny tried to get Jenn to forget it, but Jenn was not about to let it go. Although Jenn was happy in her structured home, she didn't like any hints at her being sheltered.

Jenn and Jenny noticed that Jen and all three Eds had already gone outside with their hot dogs, so the girls put their _discussion_ to rest for the moment and went out onto the deck to find them again. Jen, Ed, Eddy, and Double-D were each sitting on a padded deck chair, looking out into the trees beyond Jenn's house. Jenn and Jenny sat on the wooden floor of the deck facing the other four visitors. "So, how's the band?" Jenn asked as she sat down.

"Like Hell!" Ed answered proudly, nodding his head.

Double-D was less excited. "Well, we have all our instruments, but we don't have amplifiers or microphones. We haven't written any songs yet, either." As he continued speaking, Double-D sounded increasingly disappointed with the group's progress. 

"Hey, you've only been working, what, two days now? You'll get there." Jenn sounded far more confident of that than Double-D felt, but he was willing to take her word for it. 

"Yeah, Double-D. We haven't had enough time for that yet. We'll just have to save enough money to buy microphones and shit. And we'll do songs sometime."

A cool breeze blew through, relaxing the group. It was a nice change from the blazing hot sun of the past few days. A bird chirped squeaky notes from a tree, squawking the same song over and over again. Finally, Eddy scowled in the direction of the noise. "Shut the fuck up already! That thing is pissing me off." 

When Eddy was done speaking, everything went silent, even the bird. Jenn and Double-D seemed shocked at the stream of profanity that had flown so easily from Eddy's mouth. Eddy laughed, and Ed announced, "The curse has passed! Eddy has overpowered it!" 

"That's what I always hear when I come over here. The bird, I mean." Jenny continued. "I am so sick of it." 

"I quite enjoyed it," Double-D protested meekly. "I love the birds."

"The Birds?" Jen's attention was caught. "I love that movie."

"Me too. Peck peck peck peck!" Ed mimicked bird beaks pecking into flesh as he spoke. Jen laughed, also pecking the air. 

Eddy sank into his chair. "I'll bet they'll be pecking each other in a minute." He muttered under his breath. 

"What did you say?" Double-D asked him, as Jenn and Jenny were too busy laughing at Ed and Jen to hear it.

"Nothing." 

"Eddy"

"C'mon, Sockhead! Don't you think it's a little strange? How everything is the same here, but different? We should get Ashley hooked up with Kevin."

"You're right." Jenny was looking up at them from where she was sitting on the deck. Eddy and Double-D looked down at her, startled at the discovery that she had been listening in. "I remember seeing him when we were on your street. I think they would make a good match."

"But Eddy, Nazz and Kevin are a couple. I think Aren't they, now?" Double-D asked, with a finger to his chin. 

Rubbing his hands together, Eddy grinned. "Who cares? This is too good!" Ed and Jen had long since stopped pretending to be birds. "And not just Kevin and Ashley! Sarah and Joshua, Johnny and Chelsea, and Plank and Board!"

"Well, it would certainly be recreational," Double-D was beginning to show an interest in the idea as well. 

"I'm up for it," Jenny was clearly in agreement, and had been from the start. 

"At the very worst it will give us something ridiculous to obsess over." Jenn had become increasingly curious. And after all this discussion, she was enthusiastic, but wasn't sure whether the kids in the cul-de-sac would cooperate. "But Eddy, what if they don't want to meet each other?"

Eddy looked proud, ready for anything. "They won't have a choice." 

Double-D raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What do you mean, they won't have a choice.' I'm not sure I like where this is headed."

"I've figured out how to solve all our problems. We're gonna throw a party, and everyone in our cul-de-sac is gonna be there. And we'll charge a token fee, duh. Jenny, could you get all the Peach Creek Estates people to come?" 

"Yeah, maybe." Jenny answered, hopefully. 

Jen sat slouched in her chair with her arms folded over her stomach. "I hate using party' as a verb, but we are gonna **party**!" Jen was generally quiet. She figured that there wasn't much for her to say. But when she did speak, she spoke with enthusiasm.

"Wait just one minute." Double-D was suddenly nervous. "Where exactly are we going to have this party?" Eddy's answering gaze made Double-D wished he hadn't said a word. "No, no, Eddy, I can't"

"Look, next Saturday your parents are going to that movie, right?"

"No, they're going to see an opera. La Boheme."

"You told me they'll be gone all evening"

"Eddy, I can't have anyone over when they're not home!" Ed and the Jens were amusing themselves, watching Eddy and Double-D argue back and forth. This was better than tv.

"All right!" Double-D finally bent to Eddy's will. "We can have it at my house. Just make sure everyone is gone by nine." Double-D waved a warning finger at Eddy, and Eddy held up a hand.

"Peace. All right. They'll be gone by nine," he answered Double-D dutifully. "Maybe!" he whispered to Ed.

"If we're going to make this work," Jenn declared, heading in the direction of the door, "we better exchange phone numbers."

"But I just learned mine!" Ed whined after her. 

Jenn returned from the house with some paper and a pen. Each Ed wrote his number on the Jen's papers, and the Jens wrote their numbers down for the Eds. "Okay." Jenny was eager to begin. "What do we do first?"

"Start planning to destroy my home, I assume." Double-D suggested, still irritated with Eddy for volunteering his home for the party. 

"Quit whining, it'll be worth it." Eddy punched Double-D in the shoulder. 

A noise from the house startled the six kids, who sat bolt upright. "Oh shit, my parents are home!" Jenn looked through the kitchen window. "You guys gotta get out of here!"

"We'll call you later!" Eddy and Double-D called over their shoulders as they dashed off into the yard.

"Carrots can dial a tone!" Ed yelled.

The Jens laughed as they watched the Eds go. "Do you want us to go, too, Jenn?" Jen asked her, preparing to leave.

"No, you guys are probably okay. And if we get busted, we'll just say it's my fault."

"It is your fault." Jenny had no problem with that. The girls chuckled at that, ready and waiting for the party on Saturday. Ready and waiting


	5. Rebel Ed

Hello! Sorry about the wait for chapter 5! My life kinda sux right now, but hey, life's a bitch and then you die. Oh well. It's been a few chapters since I've had an introduction, so here's one! Thank you all SOOOO much for reviewing! I'm glad people like the fic. Really glad. I was expecting to read reviews saying something to the effect of, "What is wrong with you, gurl? Whatever possessed you to write this piece of shit?!?!" For all who are interested, my answer would have been, "My collection of sharp objects needs a break." The fic is pretty tame right now, but I'll probly lapse into heavier stuph later on (I always do. I can't help it.) so the rating may go up. If and when that happens, that will be the reason why new chapters aren't appearing in the G-PG13 section. Before I bore anyone to tears with my babbling, on to chapter 5!

Chapter 5

Rebel Ed

The clock ticked, and Double-D was well aware that the day of the party drew closer with every motion of the clock's hands. How did I get into this? He pleaded of himself. Everything seemed too hot, like he was going to melt, then a chill ran through Double-D's blood, as if to freeze him from the inside. True, it had seemed the noble thing to do, and he had been just as eager to play matchmaker for the kids of both cul-de-sacs, but that was forgotten as soon as the use of his house became inevitable.

So his parents would be out, it wouldn't matter. They had their ways, and they would find him out. Every time they came back after leaving him alone, they would examine the house under a microscope, for anything _licentious_ and it wasn't as if Double-D didn't know why. The worst of it was he knew he had brought it upon himself.

But that was all in the past. It might be doable. He would certainly have lots of time. And it wasn't as if there was a way to get out of it now. Plus, it would be a refreshing change to be seen as the risk taker for a change. Ed would be able to have a party in his basement room any time, but all the clutter would make it far less satisfactory. And Eddy as if. He could never have a party at his house, and the words "big brother" were an explanation clear enough for anyone to understand. 

Double-D flopped over onto his stomach, letting his arm hang over the edge of his bed. "I've invited seventeen kids to personally invade my home and that's about seventeen too many." Reconsidering his words, Double-D reminded himself that Ed and Eddy were pretty much always welcome. The feeling was mutual; a stretch of time had passed where Ed didn't close his window for nearly two months, as the three boys were constantly coming and going. Finally, Ed relented to the rainy weather and shut the window, but not before a puddle of water had formed right below it, forcing the Eds to enter and exit carefully. 

Even though a breeze blew in from the half-open window, Double-D's hot room was starting to overpower him. The heat was provided for him because he shivered when the temperature dipped below fifty or so degrees, which meant he would be a popsicle about half the year unless his room was heated. Still, just to make certain Double-D didn't get so much as a slight chill, his parents left the heating on year round. Although he found it better than being too cold, he had to consider this to be overkill. On these balmy nights of early June, the temperature would only rise.

Riiiing! The tone of Double-D's phone roused him quickly from his trance. The heat had been causing him to drift off, and he liked it that way. But the phone could not be ignored. 

Double-D: "Hello?"

Eddy: "Hey Double-D."

Double-D: *pauses and tries to figure out who is calling* "Eddy, is this you?"

Eddy: "Yeah."

Double-D: "Of course. You've only called me the past three nights."

Eddy: "I'm such a pal."

Double-D: "Certainly."

His voice was laced with sarcasm, and this did not go undetected.

Eddy: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Double-D: "Well, you **are** the one who pushed me to invite everyone over Saturday, without so much as asking my permission."

Eddy: *rolls his eyes* "Come on, your parents won't even be home!"

Double-D: "You don't understand! My parents are practically mind readers! It's as if they always know what I'm thinking of! And thinking of doing."

Eddy: "Yeah right. It just seems that way. I just got off the phone with Ed, and I told him to go to your house around ten in the morning. So we'll come over tomorrow and help you plan for it, k? You've only got four days!"

Double-D: "You're coming over, are you? All right. Just make sure to keep it quiet, as to prevent"

Eddy: "your parents from finding out. Yeah, I know. We will. I won't tell Ed that's why he's coming over, or he'll just be all, Party! Party! Party at Doub- - "

Double-D: "Shhh! Sometimes my parents listen to my phone conversations."

Eddy: "You know what your problem is?"

Double-D: "I'm neurotic about my parents finding out about this party **you're** throwing in **my** house?"

Eddy: *pauses* "Well, yeah that and you don't have call-waiting! Hang on."

Double-D: *taps fingers on desk* Eddy?" 

Eddy: "Get this! Jenny called me!"

Double-D: "You sound surprised."

Eddy: "I do?"

Double-D: "Well, you _are_ the one who was so sure the Jens would idolize us."

Eddy: "Hey, you never know. I guess I better let ya go. Jenn's probably been trying to call you anyway!"

Double-D: "Go on!"

Eddy: "No, really. See ya tomorrow."

Double-D: "Bye."

Eddy: "Bye."

*click*

Double-D put down the phone, hoping Eddy was being serious with him. It was not uncommon for Eddy to stretch the truth slightly where romance was concerned. Jenn was definitely beautiful; at least Double-D thought so. But girls had never made anything easy for him. No matter what he tried, or how he presented himself, he was always turned down so sharply that it took him a second to realize what had happened. Even once this had sunk in, he could never figure out where he had gone wrong.

But that was not a problem now. This party would take care of all that. Surely the idea of him taking advantage of his empty house to throw a party would be enough maybe. 

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Double-D awoke easily as the sky was still pink with the rising sun. Looking at his clock, he was convinced it read 7:45, so it was time to get up, but instead it read 6:45. "Will I ever remember how the hour hand works? Just because it's on the seven doesn't mean it's seven forty five," he reprimanded himself, then rolled over, seeing no point in getting up so early. Ed and Eddy would not be up, so it wouldn't be worth it. Closing his eyes, he managed to fall back asleep.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

About three hours later, Eddy forced himself awake, remembering the party that had to be set up, and that Double-D would never be able to do it himself. On his own, he would be able to turn anything into a musical chairs party; the kind a mother would throw for your sixth birthday. Rather than risk letting that happen to something so important to the promise this summer held socially. After all, none of the Eds or Jens could have seen this coming. Trying to play matchmaker between the cul-de-sacs? Impossible to imagine.

Jenny had sounded optimistic on the phone the night before. But then, she seemed like the type who could even save a party from Double-D. Still, everything would have to be just right for this to work. Hopefully, Johnny and Chelsea as well as Rolf and Svala would be as easy to hook up as it seemed like they would be. The rest of them might be more difficult, as Kevin and Nazz were still dating on and off, and Sarah and Jimmy well they could be. And as for Peach Creek Estates, Eddy didn't even care to find out what everyone's status was there.

Heaving himself over the edge of his bed, Eddy hurriedly got dressed, and dragged himself into the kitchen to grab something for breakfast. Once he had slipped two Pop Tarts into the toaster, Eddy leaned against the counter to think. Any sort of dating going on in Peach Creek Estates would only compound the current problem. If Ashley and Kevin were to unwilling to break it off with Jason and Nazz for each other, that would be four dead ends. After all, Ashley had Jason whipped, and Nazz just wasn't willing to try to do anything without some random boy at her side. For a brief moment, Eddy wondered, "Why did I like her so much?" But that quickly, he answered himself. "Well, she's hot, duh. And she's got great tits!" 

Finally, the Pop Tarts were ready, and Eddy shoved each one into his mouth. Then, quickly jumping into his shoes, Eddy flung the door open and marched off to Double-D's. Once he had reached his destination, Eddy knocked firmly on the door. In a moment, Double-D was there, grinning. "Good morning, Eddy!" Still tired, Eddy couldn't imagine how Double-D could be so wide awake every morning! Fighting with his eyes to stay open, Eddy greeted Double-D back and swaggered inside.

"Ed here yet?" he asked, half yawning. 

Double-D shook his head. "No. But Ed has been known to be less than punctual."

"Yeah, he'll show up some time." Eddy plopped down onto the couch, and Double-D sat next to him. The two chatted back and forth for a while, about food, about music, about girls, about everything. Finally, they paused, leaning back on the sofa. Without any knowledge of it, Eddy's mind wandered back to music. Far better than any CD or recording that could possibly be made would be no, that would never work. Could it? Eddy couldn't keep it in. He had to ask.

"Double-D, know what we should do? You, me, and Ed should play something at the party! Then everyone would know how great we are and"

"Eddy, **we** don't know how great we are. For all we know, we might sound terrible. And that's being optimistic. Sure we can play the instruments, but that's not enough. We haven't had any practices, written any songs, and we don't have any equipment either! There is no way we could have anything ready by Saturday." 

Reluctantly coming back to reality, Eddy looked down at the floor and sighed. After a moment of silence, he agreed. "Yeah yeah. Maybe you're right. Plus, not one of us can write music worth shit! I failed music class last year. _Music_! And I hate to say it, but with stuff like that, you and Ed are no better. Speaking of Ed, it's been almost an hour. Where is he?"

A thoughtful moment reminded Double-D of the long wait for Ed. "I'm not sure. He should be here by now. Let's call his residence." Eddy leapt up and dashed off to pick up the phone on the desk, and quickly dialed Ed's number. 

"Ed? Are you there?"

"Damn, why does everyone want to talk to Ed? If one more person calls for that retard, I'm gonna"

*click*

Double-D peeked at Eddy over the top of the couch. "Eddy, it's impolite to hang up on someone."

"It's impolite to hang up on someone?!? She's all, If one more person calls for that retard, blah blah blah!'"

Double-D didn't seem to care. "You still owe anyone a certain amount of respect."

A grim frown spread across Eddy's irritated face. "Even Sarah?"

"Yes, even Sarah." Double-D answered after a thoughtful moment. He wasn't entirely sure if manners were worthwhile to try on her. Eddy's face was taken over by an I-seriously-doubt-you-mean-that look, then he shuffled back to the couch, flopping down on it and landing on his back heavily. "Careful" Double-D had clearly had enough, and was tired of Eddy's roughness. But the doubtful look returned, more to show Double-D that Eddy knew that there was no point trying to stop him from doing what he wanted. No matter what Double-D said or did, if Eddy wanted to do something, he would do it anyway.

"I don't feel like going anywhere. You go find him." Eddy sighed, stretching. When he was younger, he could do that easily with Double-D sitting at the other end. His recent growth spurt took that extra room away, and left Double-D with a hard kick in the side.

"Watch your feet! And why should I have to go look for him? Maybe _I_ don't feel like it either." Eddy's tightening fists told Double-D that he either way, he would very soon feel like looking for Ed. "All right! I'll go. Mother doesn't usually come home until midday, so you should be fine until Ed and I return." Dragging himself to the door, Double-D left, and scampered off across the cul-de-sac. Eddy watched him through the window, chuckling at the sight, and stretching out. Closing his eyes, he was sure Double-D would be just as happy to find him asleep when he got back.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

By the time he had reached Ed's house, Double-D was panting as if he had just run a marathon. Mopping his brow, he knocked on the door. After several minutes with no answer, Double-D noticed Sarah and Jimmy coloring a mural of some sort across the sidewalk. Not that anything in it was distinguishable. But Sarah would have to know where Ed was. Even if she didn't care to know, she would. Still, did he really want to ask her? No, Double-D assured himself. But he did want to find Ed.

Clearing his throat, Double-D approached Sarah, beads of sweat running down his neck. He would just have to put his arms up and take it if she wasn't in the best of moods, but hopefully, this would be over quickly. "Sarah?" He began, trying to attract her attention while he was still several feet away. "Would you happen to know where Ed is?" As soon as he had finished, his fear became far more intense; she had already chewed Eddy out for asking the same question of her.

Sarah looked pissed, but she knew that it would be so much easier to just tell him what she knew and get it over with that try to avoid it all day. "Fine. He said something about my happy place and my special friend,'" Sarah answered, mimicking Ed's words and moronic expression.

My happy place and my special friend? Double-D couldn't understand what Ed meant by this. Unless he meant no, he wouldn't mean Peach Creek Estates would he? It was certainly worth a look, and a better course of action than asking Kevin or anyone else here. "_ThankyouSarah_." Double-D quickly answered and jogged down the street to Peach Creek Estates.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

The sound of a door closing quickly brought Eddy back from his daze. "Wha - -?" he sighed, forcing his eyes open, and staring up blankly at the ceiling. Groaning, Eddy muttered to himself, "feels like I've bee hit by a truck." Eddy knew there was no reason to feel like this now. Some mornings, yes, it only made sense. Especially when he was able to remember what had happened the night before.

Looking at the clock, Eddy could tell he hadn't been asleep long, maybe about half an hour. Double-D would have to be back soon! How long could it take to find Ed? Someone Ed's size with that **special** odor clinging to him would be difficult to miss. So where were they? Ed must not have been at home. But Sarah was there! Eddy was too tired to try to sort it all out in his mind, but he put it on his mental to-do-list.

Just as Eddy set himself up to ease back into sleep, a thought came to him. If it wasn't Double-D and Ed who were here, who was it? "Edward! I'm home!" Eddy got as low as he could on the couch, so he wouldn't be seen. His fingers dug into the blue leather, and his tiredness wore off quickly. What would Double-D's mother do if she found him and not Double-D? Sure, Eddy knew her to be nice, but no way would she let this go! The fact that the couch faced away from the door was a big help hiding him, but it wouldn't be enough.

"I'm going back out in a few minutes, sweetie," she continued. "I'm just here to grab some things. What have you been doing?"

Taking a deep breath, Eddy remembered being dared to be Double-D for a game of truth or dare. Hopefully he could still do it "Only studying andreading." Eddy chirped, giving it all he had. He thought it made him sound like he had a cold, but it did sound somewhat like Double-D, especially now that Double-D's voice had deepened a bit. 

"Are you all right?" she asked, sounding concerned. "Do you have a sore throat again?"

Trying still harder to sound like Double-D, Eddy answered, "No, I am quite fine." This answer left Eddy feeling as if he had just eaten something over sweetened. He felt fake saying them. Then again, he was pretending to be Double-D, so it was too late for that.

Although she seemed hesitant, Eddy heard her footsteps getting farther away, heading in the direction of the door. "Well, okay. I'll see you later!" she called, shutting the door behind her. At this sound, Eddy realized he had been holding his breath. Releasing it, Eddy let his tense muscles relax as he planned to go right back to sleep.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Double-D was doubled over, trying to catch his breath. But here he was in Peach Creek Estates. This cul-de-sac was far quieter than the one he had come from; hardly anyone was in sight. Svala was scurrying around her yard on some errand, and Chelsea and Board were sitting under a tree playing monopoly. Rather than interfere with Svala's work, Double-D walked over to Chelsea. Svala scared Double-D in a way he couldn't explain; but he assumed it was because she was so aggressive. Plus, she might try to employ him into some form of work, which was not welcome to him.

"Damn, Board! How do you _always_ get Boardwalk and Park Place?" Chelsea stared at Board, as if trying to penetrate her wooden brain. And she didn't seem to be having much luck. Double-D couldn't help but see the humor in the sight, but that didn't tell him where Ed was. "Chelsea," he wheezed, still trying to catch his breath. "Have you seen Ed?" 

She was certainly thinking about it. "Yeah! The smelly Ed? With the green jacket?"

Eagerly, Double-D nodded. "That's the one! Where did you see him?"

After a thoughtful moment, Chelsea looked over her shoulder and pointed. "There."

"Uh thank you Chelsea." Double-D answered, walking in that direction right toward Jen's house. 

"No problem," she called after him. "Ok, Board. What were wedid you move me to the jail?!?" 

Still chuckling, Double-D reached Jen's front steps and tapped his knuckles on the door. No response. He knocked louder, and still heard nothing. Sighing, he jiggled the knob in one hand, finding the door unlocked. He opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. "I know I shouldn't be doing this, but" Double-D whispered to himself. After all this, he couldn't very well return home without Ed. But he could hear Ed's voice!

"Ed!" he called across the house, unable to navigate a home he didn't know. The talking stopped, and Ed's head peeked out of a door at the end of a long hallway. 

"Oh. Hi, Double-D." Ed answered, sounding guilty.

"Where have you been? Eddy and I have been worried sick!" 

Preparing for the lecture he was sure would come, Ed's face began to resemble that of a kicked puppy. "Aww, Double-D, I just forgot."

"You were the one so obsessed with this party idea and you won't even" by the time Double-D was standing so close to Ed they were nearly touching, he could see over Ed's shoulder. Jen was sitting on a chair in the corner, watching. "Oh, hello Jen." 

"Hey Double-D. I asked Ed if he wanted to come over. He didn't say anything about that."

The nervous twitching of Ed's eye gave him away. Double-D was not going to ignore that. "I think you did more than forget, Ed."

There was no venom in Double-D's voice, so Ed knew he wasn't in trouble. Blushing slightly, Ed whispered to Double-D, "My tummy feels all wiggly and crawly again."

"Yes, I know, Ed, but we have to get back to Eddy."

Jen was able to hear Double-D, and sat on the edge of her chair. "Double-D, can I come too? I know how to how to I can tie my shoes!" Jen exclaimed, pointing to her feet.

"But you're wearing sandals." Double-D answered, squinting at the flip flops. 

"Oh." Jenny stared down at her feet, sounding disappointed. Then her face brightened again. "I can tie my other shoes, too!"

"Where are Jenn and Jenny?" Double-D asked.

Jen shrugged. "I don't know. I guess at home."

"Well, we better get going." Double-D concluded, turning to leave.

"So can I come with?" Jen asked.

Jen and Ed's pleading faces were more than enough to convince Double-D. "Certainly. It will probably take all three of us to wake Eddy up."

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

"It **will** take all three of us to wake him up," were the first words out of Double-D's mouth when the three had reached Double-D's house. Jen was staring at various objects like a deer staring into car headlights. "Jen, it's impolite to stare." Double-D scolded her, as he strode up to Eddy's side.

Looking up at Ed, Jen asked him, "Does he always say stuff like that?"

"Oh yeah." Ed answered, remembering all the Double-Disms he knew all too well.

"Eddy. Eddy.Eddy!" Double-D repeated Eddy's name several times, and Ed and Jen looked down at him. 

Ed looked slightly nervous. It was hard for him to tell whether or not Eddy was even breathing, as he could not see Eddy's chest moving up and down at all. Eddy's mouth was hanging open, with the lower jaw resting on his chest. A trail of drool was leaking from the side of Eddy's mouth. And Ed's runaway imagination was no help either. Then again, Jen didn't look at all worried. "Jenny looks just like that when she sleeps, but her head goes sideways." 

Finally, Ed reached over and pinched Eddy's arm, just curious to see what would happen. Eddy quickly woke up, trying to pull away from Ed. "Ed! Fuck off!" Ed stumbled backwards, surprised at the sudden outburst, but glad Eddy was alive. "That's gonna leave a mark." Eddy snarled, stroking the pinched area on his arm. Letting go of his arm, Eddy looked up, and noticed Jen. "Wha- - Jen?"

"Yes, Ed was at her house, so she came back with"

Eddy's attention was caught. "Ooooh, what were you doing, Lumpy?" Ed was impatient, and still not thrilled with the nickname. 

"Talkin'." Ed answered. He wasn't happy with Eddy, but was not about to let that show. Eddy would just lap that up, and that would make it far worse.

Double-D was in a hurry. "Please, _un_pleasantries aside, can we get to work?"

"Sure," Eddy sighed. "I still wish we could play."

Jen looked out the window. A sunbeam was dancing on the floor and opposite wall. "It's sunny out. Just go."

It took a few moments for Eddy and Double-D to be able to follow Jen's train of thought. "No, Jen. Eddy means the band." Double-D explained to her. Ed was looking longingly outside, but turned his head at the mention of the band. 

"Have you written any songs yet?" Jen asked. "Can you play something?"

"No," Ed looked disappointed, and turned to sit on the couch, almost landing on Eddy's stomach. 

Just in time, Eddy managed to stop him. "Hey! You sit down there, Monobrow," Eddy ordered him, pointing to the far end of the couch. Ed obeyed and sat, leaning on the arm of it. 

Double-D sat on the tile floor, looking up at Jen. "We have a predicament on our hands. None of us could ever compose music."

Jen appeared frozen in place, staring down at Double-D. It was as if the thought process going on in her mind was taking up all her concentration so she could no longer move. "Uh sometimes Jenn makes up music. She plays the piano and she's written something of her own."

Interested, Eddy's lip curled into a half-smile. Are you sure? Do you think she could write music for us?"

"As we didn't consider that problem when we made the band." Double-D added quickly, giving Ed and Eddy an accusing glance.

That didn't matter. Jen seemed thrilled. "Yeah! But I don't think she would be able to in time for Saturday." 

The Eds were satisfied. If Jenn really could write music, that would solve that problem. But it didn't help at all as far as Saturday was concerned. Eddy was willing to voice that. "But what about Saturday?"

Ed's eyebrow furrowed, and he jutted his lower lip out. He looked like some sort of prehistoric man with his face contorted like that, but since his hair had grown longer, he looked slightly less simple than he had when it was a buzz cut. "Can we play a used song?"

Even Jen wasn't entirely sure what that meant. "Used song?" She repeated.

"Yeah! Like something from the music store." Ed jumped up, and started beating invisible drums with invisible sticks. 

Double-D's mouth dropped open. "That was brilliant, Ed."

Although Eddy was no less impressed than Double-D was, he was still bewildered. "How come we didn't think of that? We could get sheet music. And since I'm the best looking, I can be our lead singer." Eddy slicked his hair back with one hand and grinned. Deciding it would not be worth it to oppose Eddy, Ed and Double-D kept quiet. 

But Jen could not. "I think Ed should be the lead singer." She said quietly. 

Ed's face turned bright red, and he looked at the floor. "I can't sing." He mumbled.

Trying to restore a little of Ed's pride, Double-D coaxed, "Come on, Ed! Remember that song you and Rolf sang when we assembled that Old World village? You were excellent at that!" A small grin appeared on Ed's face, but it was still obvious he was not lead material, especially as a drummer.

"We'll have to get down to the store later and pick something." Eddy rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "And I can bring my lava lamp, mirror ball, and some other stuff over for Saturday, too."

"Thank you, Eddy." Double-D was beginning to feel as if this idea might actually work. If it did, this would be so much more than just an ordinary summer. Instead of scams that never worked and being chased by Kankers, the Eds would get a chance to make this summer one they would always remember. The one where they played matchmakers for two cul-de-sacs. 

"Me and Jenn and Jenny can bring all the food, so don't worry about that!" Jen added, laughing. "But we'll have to bring a whole crapload. I am the human garbage dump!" Jen stomped around the room, growling so fiercely Ed had to laugh.

"Bring any CD's you got, too. I don't think us playing one song would be enough." Eddy was convinced LikeHell would be a hit, but during the hours they weren't playing, anything was better than silence. 

"Ok. I'll go and tell Jenn and Jenny, and we'll be ready!"

"Goodbye Jen!"

"Later!"

"See ya."

"Jen has left the building!" Jen shouted as she ran out the door.

The Eds sighed in satisfaction, looking forward to when they would finally be able to get their band off the ground. So what if Jenn would have to write the music? At least the Eds were able to admit that they weren't able to do it themselves. After all, the Jens had already incorporated themselves so much into the lives of the Eds, they wouldn't mind it. And it would be more than okay; Double-D had already volunteered to write lyrics.

"Well," Eddy sighed, "Now we've gotta figure out how we're gonna buy the sheet music. I'm kinda broke."

"Double-D, can you fix broken Eddy?" Ed asked, looking at Double-D. 

"I don't think Eddy can be fixed." Double-D answered looking at Eddy. "I do have my paper route money, but that's going to my electron microscope."

Glaring at Double-D through a half-closed eye, Eddy mumbled, "I'm not surprised he didn't say anything when he needed a guitar. Come on, Sockhead! We need to give everyone a chance to see how great we are."

Double-D was still skeptical. "Eddy, we still have no way to tell whether or not we are great." There was no hope of getting Eddy to believe that the band would be less than perfect. 

"Music!" Ed was ready to go.

"Hold on to your neck. Okay, we'll go. But before we do, Double-D, you have to grab some cash."

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Jen jogged out the door of Eddy's house. She jogged down the sidewalk. She jogged around the corner and up the lane. She jogged through the trees and into Peach Creek Estates. Then she jogged up the sidewalk to her house. She went right past Jenn and Jenny who were sitting on her front steps, and into her house. Jenn and Jenny looked at each other, calling into the house after Jen.

Slowly, Jen returned to her door. "Oh hi! Were you guys there all that time?"

Jenny rolled her eyes. "How could you not see us? You almost kicked me in the head!"

"That wouldn't be the end of the world. Jen, where have you been?"

Jen sat on the steps between Jenn and Jenny. "I called Ed over." Jenn and Jenny gasped, forgetting how long they had sat on the hot cement steps waiting for her to come out. This was big.

"Good for you!" Jenn exclaimed. "I thought you said you _couldn't_ call him."

"What did you guys **do**?" Jenny was more interested in hearing the gritty details, hoping they at least involved some tongue.

Jen rested her chin on a fist. "We watched 'Mutant Zombies from Planet Xop.'" She said, finally.

That wasn't enough for Jenny. She naturally assumed there was going to be more. "And?"

Thinking some more, Jen said, "We ate some chips. And drank root beer."

Jenn was already losing interest. "Tsk. That's romantic."

"_And_?"Jenny was still interested, very interested. But she was getting impatient.

Jen thought as hard as she could. " That was it! It was a good movie. I taped it last week. The rubbery lava folk rampaged San Francisco and" 

"That was all? Did you guys do anything?" Jenny couldn't get her mind around the lack of romance in her friend's first "date."

"Well, Ed touched my hand when I reached for the chips." Jen answered, blushing. 

Jenny sighed, covering her face with her hands. "Jen, what are we going to do with you?"

"Sorry Jenny. I like Ed. I really do! But I just can't talk to him."

Jenn looked skeptically at Jen. "That's what you told me yesterday. You said, I can't call him, Jenn!' And then you did."

"This is different. I can't just say, Ed, I like you.'" 

"I'm surprised that would occur to you. But we know you can't say that." Jenn tried her best to explain it, but it was like the blind leading the blind. It was better than tv for Jenny, who couldn't resist a heart to heart between two love dunces. 

When Jenn finally paused her explanation, Jen took the opportunity. Jen remembered how every time someone explained something to her, at the end, they would ask her if she had any questions. This happened often enough for her to remember. And now she had a question. "Jenn, why are you telling me all this? You like Double-D. Why don't you ever talk to him?"

"I don't **like** him, Jen, I"

"LOVE him!" Jenny finished the sentence the way she thought it should be finished. "You know you like him Jenn. You write his name everywhere, and you put his number on your speed dial."

That gave Jen another question. "Jenny, I have the pizza guy's number on my speed dial. Does that mean I love him?"

Jenny wasn't listening to Jen. "Just tell him already!"

Jenn saw an opportunity of her own. "I will as soon as you tell Eddy you like him!"

After a moment of silence, Jen spoke again. "Jenny, I don't like the pizza guy."

Having missed Jen's question, Jenny had no clue where that came from, but it was funny none the less. But that gave Jenny the perfect idea. "Hey, how about after the party, you guys come to my house for the night?" 

"Sounds great." Jenn nodded.

"Can we order a pizza?" Jen asked, still on the topic of pizza. "Oh, Jenny, I told Ed the three of us would get the food for Double-D's party." 

"Great. We've got some shopping to do." 

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

The three Eds searched the shelves at the music store, looking for the right song. Still, no agreement had been reached. Eddy peeked around a corner to where Double-D was standing. "Hey Double-D, how about Eminem's new one? This looks like a job for me, so everybody just follow me, cuz we need a little controversy, and it feels so empty without me!'" Eddy sang the chorus, strumming an invisible guitar. 

Double-D was less than thrilled with that idea, and Eddy could tell from the expression. In Double-D's mind, this suggestion of Eddy's was only fractionally better than Ed's suggestion of the theme song of "Zombies from the Deep Freeze."

Double-D continued to sift through racks of sheet music, then discovered a batch of Eve 6 songs. Reaching aimlessly into the pile, he pulled out a copy of "Girl Eyes," one of his favorites. "Eddy!" he called, sticking his head around the corner. "What do you think of this?"

"Eve 6! Hell yeah! I didn't know if they'd have Eve 6. That song is the shit! Well, let's go buy a copy for each of us."

Despite Eddy's enthusiasm, Double-D was hesitant. "Shouldn't we ask Ed what he thinks first?" The sight of Ed striking up a conversation with a cardboard Austin Powers quickly changed Double-D's mind. 

Once they had a tape of the song and a copy of the music each, Eddy had been keeping a question for Ed inner long enough already. "So Ed," he began. Double-D groaned, not liking the thought of where this conversation could go. "What were you and Jen doing?"

"We watched 'Mutant Zombies from Planet Xop.'"

"And?"

"We ate some chips. And drank root beer. But she didn't say much. What if she doesn't like me, Eddy?"

When it looked like Eddy was going to laugh, Double-D glared at him. Sobering up in a hurry, Eddy smiled. "Hey, she likes you. You know she does. And she is gonna love you after the party! Every girl there is gonna want us!" The Eds went on talking about girls, and the party, and most importantly, practicing enough to have their song ready. It was going to be a busy couple days!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Finally, Friday night. Not a moment too soon, Double-D thought to himself. The last few days had been hard on Double-D, simply because he was still slightly dragging his feet in the idea. It seemed like it was asking for disaster, but the confidence of the Jens and Ed and Eddy gave Double-D the push that prevented him from calling the idea off. Not that he hadn't been tempted to several times, but how could he possibly get out of it gracefully? Especially after waiting this long? By now, it didn't matter too much; it would be pretty pointless to call it off now. Everyone would probably still appear on his doorstep at eight!

The song sounded reasonably good, even though it wasn't exactly polished to perfection. It sounded good, and that was the important part. It had looked for awhile as though it wouldn't have been ready in time, as it seemed like the three boys could never agree on practice times. But they had gotten enough time in, and they were ready to go.

It wasn't so much that Double-D was worried about getting caught, it was the moral part of the decision. His parents trusted him. Somewhat. Still remembering that the high security was his own fault, another thought that flooded Double-D's mind was how much the thought of going back on his promise not to have anyone over would come back to haunt him. His mother had been an angel, and all he could remember was her finest hour

__

Darkness. But the sun was shining. Darkness in daylight. Double-D sat alone under a big swaying willow, watching leaves float gently down around him. Middle school was nothing like elementary school, where he first met Ed and Eddy. They went to Peach Creek Middle School, just has he had wanted to. No, his parents insisted. He would go to get a Christian education at Holy Hallelujah. Peach Creek Estates was still just an architect's dream, so Jason was nowhere to be found. If he had been around for those three years, they would have been much more bearable. Just having someone there

As if. Double-D was beyond socially inept. Especially with kids here. There was no explaining it. They were intelligent, affluent, and somewhat sheltered; much like Double-D himself. Still, somehow, he could not be compared with them. The worst of it was the dress code. Instead of his usual comfortable choices, he was forced to dress up in a white dress shirt, long black pants, and massive black shoes, always polished to perfection. The mass of them left him to park them in his garage at the end of the day. 

The worst of the dress code was the "no hats on school grounds" rule. It wouldn't have mattered if it was twenty below zero and the students wore hats to prevent the tips of their ears from being frostbitten by the stinging wind. Double-D always wore it until only moments before he reached the school so no one from the cul-de-sac would see him. It was bad enough for him to be in school that way. And the instant the school was out of sight, he pulled his hat out of his book bag and placed it carefully back on his head.

I had all come about preparing for middle school. When he was younger, Double-D's hair fell past his shoulders. It was almost too beautiful to seem real, especially on a boy. He loved it that way, and didn't want to cut it. But Holy Hallelujah had other ideas. Double-D remembered walking into the school the summer that preceded his first year there. An interview and entrance exam awaited him. He clung to his mother's hand as she led him there, assuring him that everything would be fine. Somehow, he knew something would not be right.

He proved to be remarkably intelligent, and was offered acceptance to the school that simply. But the interview let a problem creep in. Clinging tighter than before to his mother's hand, Double-D was escorted into the principal's office. The principal was smiling from behind a face lined with deep, sagging wrinkles. At least he was smiling at Double-D's mother. But the moment his eyes shifted to Double-D himself, a frown let the wrinkled skin sag lower, giving him a doglike appearance. The first words out of his mouth were, "And he did so well on that exam. Well, I knew there would be a catch." 

Double-D's mother was less than thrilled, "Nice to meet you, too."

Apparently not used to being answered with sarcasm, the principal leaned forward, his hands laced together. "Mrs. Welshiemer, I'm assuming you are unfamiliar with our dress code. Boys must have hair cut above the ears."

Snorting, Double-'D's mother tossed her head. "That's ridiculous. You said yourself he did well on his exam."

"That alone won't work in my school. The Lord does not endorse men taking on the façade of a woman, and neither do I." He tried to act oblivious to Double-D's mother's building anger, but he knew perfectly well it was present.

"That is full of shit." Double-D squeezed his mother's hand tighter at her words. Hearing her speak like that made him fearful, and he was never sure why. She was defending him, after all. "He has every right to look this way. I've seen grown men who - -"

Raising thick graying eyebrows, the principal looked irritated. "That is irrelevant. I will not tolerate it in my school."

For a moment, Double-D's mother wondered if she was beaten. Unwilling to quit, she pushed it further. "Do you simply resent him because you have no hair of your own?" She snapped, eyeing the principal's wrinkled bald head. 

The bald head became increasingly redder, and for such a tired looking old man, his eyes were fiery. It was obvious he wanted to lash out, as he had had enough. But there was nothing he could do. "He is a bright boy. Very bright. All I ask is that you cut his hair before the beginning of the semester."

By the first day, Double-D had forgotten all about the incident. He pranced proudly up to the door, his glistening ebony hair flying out behind him. When he reached the door, he stopped and struggled to pry it open. A teacher noticed this small child fighting with the heavy glass door, so she rushed to the rescue. "Here, let me help you with" she stopped, noticing the boy's uniform on this delicate figure. Double-D was clearly a boy, however, with his ten year old face maturing into that of a man. The teacher took him by the hand, leading him to the principal's office, which brought the summer memory back to his mind. 

The moment the principal laid eyes on him, he heaved a gusty sigh, obviously remembering the incident as well. After reaching into his desk for something, which he placed in his pocket, he and the teacher took Double-D outside, sitting him on a bench near the edge of the school grounds, shaded by pines. The principal reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of scissors. Double-D's eyes widened, and his body shook, fearfully. Quickly and easily, the principal cut Double-D's long, flowing hair right down to the skin, leaving only tiny black hairs across Double-D's head. The principal and teacher turned from him abruptly, leaving from where they had come so unemotionally. They had no idea what they had really done to him.

Double-D knew perfectly well that there was no reason to be so upset over this, but he loved having the lovely ebony mane he always had. It was as much a part of him as his eyes, nose, and mouth. He jumped down from the bench, picking up a lock of his severed hair and caressed it gently with his fingertips. Only moments ago, it had been whipping around in the wind behind him as he ran, but now it was just gone. Feeling hot tears come to his eyes, Double-D turned and went into school himself, just in time for the bell to sound.

He walked home cautiously, trying to prevent anyone he knew from seeing him. He burst through the front door of his house in tears, crashing into a chair and burying his face in his hands. Although his mother could tell his first day at Holy Hallelujah had not been good, she didn't understand the full extent of it until she laid eyes on him. Squeezing his shoulder gently, she bent down and hugged him, not asking about a thing. Right then, the two drove off to a nearby thrift store, and Double-D came upon a white striped black guardian and every moment he spent outside of school, he never parted with his hat.

For whatever reason, the haircut had become common knowledge among the students, and Double-D was constantly reminded of what it had done to him. His academic ability did him far more harm than good in this world. Nor did his sensitivity and compassion. These qualities were wasted on these children who didn't see anything positive about them, and every lunch and recess were spent alone, all alone, and listening to chants of "Fag-Ed! Fag-Ed!" The demonic voices still echo in his ears

Coming back to reality so quickly left Double-D wondering how his mind had gotten so far off track. But that day was vary fresh in his mind, even though that was nearly five years ago. Stroking his long black hair, he remembered how he had wept over it when it was gone. That was what drove him so strongly to keep it there. The hat remained, though, as he had just become so used to it, he didn't feel like himself without it.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he was almost satisfied with what he saw. Removing his hat, he watched as his fine black hair poured down like a liquid, long and straight. With a smile, he placed his hat back on his head and dropped into bed. Turning off the light, he drifted off into sleep easily. He needed all the sleep he could get. By the time the party was on, he would need all the energy within him to have some control. And he was sure he would need all he could muster.


	6. Where's the Party, Ed?

Yaaaaaay! Here's the long awaited party chapter! Chips and pop are on the table and the music's playing, so get ready for chapter 6! (Sorry about the wait, by the way. Forgive me? =) 

Chapter 6

Where's the Party, Ed?

Slowly opening one eye and then the other, Double-D had to admit to himself that this was the big day. This was Saturday. He had secretly been hoping that the week had all been a dream. Ever since summer began, which had only been a week now, a time of relaxation had taken the form of one complication after another. The first scam of the season, which was a complete failure, the creation of the band, meeting the Jens, and now trying to combine the cul-de-sacs. In Double-D's opinion, the band alone would be a big adjustment, and quite enough on the Eds' plates, at least to start with.

He sat up in bed, still wishing he could just go back to sleep, but knowing Eddy would never let him. It was clear that Double-D was anxious about the evening to come; but was he anxious with reluctance, dragging his feet, or was he anxious with excitement? After a moment of thinking about it, he still couldn't decide, but he wanted to believe he was anxious with excitement.

While mechanically making his way through his morning procedure of getting ready, Double-D knew he still had nearly ten hours before his parents left and he, along with the Jens and the other two Eds, could start setting up. Still in underwear and socked feet, Double-D crept back to his room, ready to sort through piles of his CDs. Food was not a problem, as the Jens would be bringing it, and hopefully, the band would not be too terrible. 

They had practiced "Girl Eyes" enough times for them to hear themselves playing it even when they weren't. And they didn't sound or look very professional; without any amplifying equipment, and Ed's pygmy drums. Even though their sound was sketchy, and their appearance was somewhat laughable, they were a band. That was enough for Ed, but Eddy and Double-D would always silently wish they had more glamour coming their way in the future.

"Little Sailor Sing-Along? How did that get in there? I thought I threw that away!" Double-D laughed at the title of the CD. Out of curiosity, he popped it into the player on his desk and pressed the play button. 

"Heyyyyyyyy kiiiiiiiiids!" A voice called out, and a chorus of children yelled back in response. "Who here likes to sing? I'll bet you'll all love these fun songs! Ready?" Double-D was already in hysterics, seeing the humor in his first CD. "Michael roooowed the booooat ashore, halleluuuuuuuuujah, Michael roooowed the booooat ashore, halleluuuuuuuuujah!"

Tears came to Double-D's eyes, and his sides ached from laughing so hard. The song kept playing, but by the time it was about halfway over, he heard the doorbell. "I'll get it!" he shouted, still laughing so hard that he could barely stay on his feet. 

The doorbell rang again as Double-D started walking down the stairs, trying to regain his composure. It rang several more times before he reached the door. When he reached the door, he put his hand on the knob, and opened the door about halfway. That was when he remembered he was still in his underwear.

But it was too late to go back up to find some clothes. Not that it mattered; it was only Ed and Eddy anyway. "Hi Double-D!" Ed greeted him with his usual enthusiasm. 

"Oh, hello Ed." Double-D answered sheepishly, blushing slightly. 

Eddy punched Double-D in the shoulder. "Nice tighty whities, Sockhead." 

Rolling his eyes, Double-D moved away from the door to let Ed and Eddy in. "So you want to come up to my room?"

"Sure. Jenny called me last night. She says there's no room to move in Jen's dining room because of all the food they bought. Jen thought it was all just for her!" Eddy led the way to Double-D's room, chuckling about Jen. "Her and Ed will eat it all before anyone else even gets here!"

"Shhhh! Eddy, not so loud! Do you want my parents to hear you?"

Eddy was about to respond, but reached Double-D's room before he could. The room was littered with CDs, just as Double-D had left it, and of course, the music was still playing.

"There's a hooooooooooooole, There's a hooooooooooooole there's a hole in the bottom of the sea!"

Eddy was on the floor laughing harder than Double-D had been, even though Double-D had started up again. _"What **is** that?!?!?"_

Double-D flopped onto his bed, laughing too hard to answer.

"Every time I hear there's a hole in the bottom of the', I keep thinking"

"Yes, Eddy, I can imagine what you keep thinking." Double-D interrupted him, still laughing over the song. And even though he had a good idea what Eddy was thinking, he didn't want to hear about it.

"I like this song!" Ed announced as the first few notes of another song began to play. "Ooooh, whatcha gonna do with a drunken sailor, whatcha gonna do" Ed sang with the CD, dancing around, his hair flickering in the sun. He pulled his jacket off, and in his red and white striped shirt, he did look like a sailor. "Shave his belly with a rusty razor"

Ed was not willing to let Double-D stop the CD before the song was over, so when the Drunken Sailor song was done playing, Double-D took the CD out and put it back in the case. "So," Double-D tried to sound serious, but wasn't doing a very good job. "What's up?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," Eddy answered, lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. "We came to help you get ready for your shindig!" 

"Eddy, we won't be able to start getting ready until six, when my parents leave."

"Is Jen bringing the chips?" Ed asked. He was only interested in the food. 

"Yeah yeah." And Eddy was only interested in the money. "So Double-D, how much should we charge for admission? Ten dollars? A hundred? A - -"

"I don't think we could charge that much for a party at my house." 

"But can I get in for free?" Ed sounded a little worried, unsure whether or not Eddy would give him an exemption from paying.

Double-D stared at Ed with a, "Well, duh!" expression on his face. It seemed like Eddy had to put a little more thought into it. "Mmmm, all right. But only because you're with the band!" Eddy added, snickering.

As if Ed cared. It felt good to be part of a group. Each of the three felt that way, and knew what the alternative felt like. Until Double-D's parents left, there was little the boys could do; so their plans for the morning and afternoon were nothing more that laying low and relaxing. While they couldn't help feeling guilty as they imagined the Jens working hard to prepare for the evening, that didn't change things. 

The truth, though, was that the Jens were doing the exact same thing.

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Jen was sprawled across her couch, yawning. She stretched, yawning still wider. Jenn and Jenny had gotten there about half an hour earlier, and wanted to go over to Double-D's. But it was obvious that that wasn't about to happen. With another tremendous yawn, Jen's mouth opened wide, like a snake unhinging its jaw. Jenny swore she could see Jen's tonsils.

"She's got a lot of energy, doesn't she?" Jenny asked Jenn. The two were sitting on another couch on the opposite wall. 

Jenn giggled. "I think she should be classified as a liquid before ten A.M."

Once she realized she was the one being talked about, Jen twisted around onto her stomach. "Hey, I'm tired. I wanna go for the party now."

"Jen, you know we can't go until seven thirty." In an attempt to twist around back onto her back, Jen slipped and fell to the floor with a squeal. She landed on the floor with a shocked expression on her face, then laughed. 

Jen jumped right back up onto the couch where she had been before. "I know. But I wish it was seven thirty now." 

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The rest of the day progressed much the same way for the Eds and the Jens. The Eds sat in Double-D's room most of the day, just planning and listening to music. They had even managed to squeeze a quick practice into their _busy_ schedule. The Eds returned to Double-D's room after their practice. By the time they got there, Double-D's parents had gone out, leaving a trail of sticky notes behind. When he stepped inside the door to his room, Double-D kicked his shoes off and dropped down onto the bed. Eddy hurriedly followed Double-D's example.

Ed stood just outside the door. Not so much as bothering with his shoes, Ed took a few steps back, then grinned. "Uh-oh" was all Eddy could say. Both he and Double-D knew what would come next.

"**Dogpile!**" Ed yelled as loud as he could, then took a running jump onto the bed, which sent the other two Eds a few feet into the air. 

"E-e-e-e-ed!" Double-D tried to get Ed to calm to calm down, but it was a losing fight. Eddy was on Ed's side, anyway. 

"Come on, Double-D, loosen up already. Only half an hour until the Jens get here! Relax!" Easy for him to say, thought Double-D. This isn't his house, his concern, or his life. To Double-D, this was another time when he would have to battle his anxiety to keep it from getting the better of him.

After a deep breath, Double-D grinned at Eddy. "You're right. But I've never been to a real party before; certainly not had one at my own home!"

"Yeah you have." Eddy snorted. 

"Not a boy/girl soirée like this."

Eddy crossed his arms. "And that one at my house after our eighth grade graduation?"

"I don't recall a party at your house after graduation." Double-D tried to remember, but nothing was coming to him. "Do you remember it, Ed?" 

Ed shook his head. "My brain has been munched." His expression was as blank as Double-D's or was that how it always looked?

Eddy opened his mouth, preparing to tell Double-D more about the eighth grade graduation party, but Double-D beat him to it. "Oh, I remember! Do you mean the one everyone in the cul-de-sac was invited to, but"

"only you and Ed showed up for. Yeah yeah, so it wasn't really much of a thing, huh? It did kinda suck.We couldn't really play truth or dare or spin the bottle with only the three of us." The thought of the failed party was a disappointment to Eddy. "You remember that, Lumpy?"

Ed blinked. "No."

"That one where no one even showed up. After eighth grade. Do you remember that?" Ed's eyes locked on Eddy, listening for something that might help him remember. Nothing yet. But Eddy was persistent. "And remember when I dared you to chug a 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper? But I shook it first and then it sprayed all over you? That's something you'd remember." Ed shook his head, still not remembering. "And then we went out to buy jawbreakers."

Seeing the minimal success Eddy was having in jogging Ed's memory, Double-D gave it a try. "And then you tried to take your tie off, but you pulled on the thin end, and almost choked yourself!while you were eating your jawbreaker?"

"Do you remember?" Eddy asked, finally. 

Ed put a finger to his lips. After a semi-thoughtful moment, Ed answered, "Are you sure that was us?"

That was is. Eddy's mouth dropped open. "You can't remember any of that? At all? Remember when dared you to eat some chili peppers? And then you drank from the toilet?" Eddy and Double-D were already laughing uncontrollably at the memory, while Ed sat bolt upright like a statue trying to think of it. "But that made it worse, and and you drank a whole jug of expired milk?" By the time Eddy and Double-D had calmed down enough to hear a response, they were only met with Ed's silence. "You don't remember?!?!? Damn, you're impossible!" Eddy flopped over on his stomach, defeated.

Double-D thought carefully. "Hmmm. Well, you did stub your toe as you came in the door to"

Suddenly, Ed's eyes brightened. "Wait, my brain is working! I remember!" Ed hugged himself. 

"You're very special, aren't you?" Eddy asked Ed.

"Yes I am, Eddy!" Ed answered, not taking the slightest insult. 

"How did we ever get on that topic, anyhow?" Double-D asked, curiously.

"I forget." Ed answered.

Eddy's eyes rolled like roulette wheels. "He wasn't talking to you. He knows better than to ask if you remember something!" Turning his focus back to Double-D, Eddy continued. "You said you'd never been to a party before."

"But do you think I'm really ready for this? This is a portal to adulthood Think of all it symbolizes! Tonight is far more than a party!"

"Yeah, but just think of it! This is how my brother got his respect! "

Double-D considered. "I'm not sure that your brother is the best role model. And I still say that was more fear' than respect, per se."

****

*Ding-Dong!*

The unmistakable ring of the doorbell sounded from downstairs. "That'd be the Jens! I'll get the door." Eddy bounced off the bed, and jogged out the door and down the stairs. Eddy raced down the stairs as fast as he could manage, but a near fall on his pant leg persuaded him to slow down. When he reached the bottom, Eddy flung the door open with his arms outstretched. "Hey Jenny! Come on oh shit" The words escaped Eddy's mouth as little more than breaths. For he wasn't looking at Jen, Jenn, or Jenny. It was "Lee Kanker? What the hell are you doing here? This isn't even my house? How'd ya know I'd be here? I told you I mean I've been trying to call you" 

Eddy wanted to slap himself in the face. But he wouldn't give Lee the satisfaction of seeing that. Still, this is how it always went: Lee would track him down, for one reason or another; he would set off, bound and determined to get rid of her; and yet she would always get the better of him. She, as well as her sisters, had grown up considerably since their junior high days; although the Kanker sisters could hardly have been called students. Their attendance record was as sporadic as their moods; but their moods were generally anti-school. "Yeah yeah. Whaddaya think, May? Marie?" 

"Wha- - -?" Eddy was shocked to see Lee's two sisters step out from behind her. Lee and Marie had let their hair grow long, and had cut it enough so their eyes were visible. They were wearing about ten pounds of make up each, which was one constant in their appearance. May had cut her hair to chin length, and almost looked nice, but the company of her sisters destroyed any element of comfort she presented. "Not again Look, Lee, this is _not_ a good time for me, at all, so I will just talk to you later."

Lee was skeptical, and gritted her teeth. "Hell no. We settle this now." 

"This was settled when we broke it off. Now **leave** before I break you off."

"Are you gonna let him talk to you like that?" May hissed at Lee in a stage whisper. 

After considering, Lee grinned. Tossing her head, she turned from Eddy and stalked away, all sorts of thoughts running through her head. Eddy would pay no matter what "Let him say what he wants. Talk's as cheap as we are."

Marie chuckled to herself. "And no one knows that better than you do."

Raising a hand to strike Marie, Lee wanted to free herself of at least a little of the anger she was concealing but somehow, she knew this wasn't the way to go about it. She had to admit to herself that Marie was right.

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Eddy slammed the door behind him, sliding slowly to the floor. He massaged his forehead, trying hard to get it all out of his head. Lee was on his trail again. And all because of his damned impulses To Eddy, the next few moments seemed like hours, as he was left with his thoughts and memories, dark halls full of cold portraits 

The doorbell's ring brought Eddy out of his trance with a start. He nearly jumped out of his skin, and would have if his heavy, pounding heart hadn't been holding him back. In one quick motion, he was on his feet, looking through the glass panels on each side of Double-D's door. Instead of Lee, as he feared it would be, he didn't see a face at all; only a huge bag of popcorn on one side and an equally huge bag of Cheezy Chomps on the other. "Jenny" he began with a hint of tension in his voice as he opened the door.

But breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted Jenny's face peeking between the large bags. "We're here!" Jenny cheered. 

"Mmmf mmf mmmmmmmf!" came a voice from Jenny's left.

"What was that?" Eddy asked, staring at the bag of Cheezy Chomps, which was moving as the muffled voice continued. 

Jenny turned her head to see the other side of the bag. "Jen! How did you oh no!" Jen groaned about something Eddy still didn't understand, and dragged the other Jens into Double-D's house behind her. Now that Eddy could see the other side of the bag, Eddy understood what Jenny was upset about. Jen had torn a hole in the bag, and was sucking the Cheezy Chomps out like a leech. 

Eddy scowled. "Jen! You're worse than Ed! Even he wouldn't well, yeah, he probably _would_ do that." 

From the top of the stairs, a voice boomed down, "I HEAR FOOD!" In seconds, Ed appeared, and he was sliding down the stairs. 

"Ed, please be careful!" Double-D chased Ed down the stairs, and stared at the huge bags of snacks, which were now propped up against the closed front door. And of course, he noticed the leak in the Cheezy Chomps bag. "Why is there a" before finishing his sentence, Double-D noticed Jen with an orange ring of crumbs around her mouth. "Never mind. I suggest we put these in bowls."

"To hide the evidence?" Jenn asked, looking at the hole in the bag, then at Double-D.

"Exactly." He answered. 

Jenny looked around the house. There was plenty of space for dancing, and a large table that could hold snack bowls. "So, are we gonna put any decorations up?"

"Nah, not enough time." Eddy sighed, wishing something could be done with the drab walls. "Well, it's not that big a deal. The lights'll be pretty low, anyway."

The Jens grabbed bowls from Double-D's kitchen and started to put the snacks in them while the Eds brought their instruments in from the garage. The bowls were then set on the table, and a glass bowl was filled to the rim with orange soda. The six of them stood back and looked around, satisfied with their work. Finally Jenn announced the verdict. "Well, it's not much to look at, but I think we've done well for ourselves."

Eddy nodded in agreement until his eyes landed on the corner table. "Double-D, bring down your boom box. And your CDs."

"Eddy, we could just use the CD player up there!"

"But your boom box looks cooler. Go get it." Heaving a sigh, Double-D trudged up the stairs for his boom box and CDs. He returned a few minutes later struggling to carry everything. After dumping it all unceremoniously down onto the couch, Double-D leaned against the wall panting open-mouthed. 

Ed grabbed the boom box, and with the coordination of a six-year-old, began violently stabbing the buttons with one finger. Double-D looked up in a hurry at the sound of the abuse to his boom box, and Ed whining, "Double-D, make the music come out!"

Jenn rolled her eyes and plugged the cord into an outlet. "There, Ed. Satisfied?"

Ed glanced from the end of the cord to the boom box, where an electric guitar was screeching notes out wildly. Pleased with it, Ed plunked the boom box onto a table, and turned the volume up all the way. The Jens and the other two Eds covered their ears in an attempt to block out the sound. Ed enjoyed it, and danced around, pretending to be a guitarist. "- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -!" They could all tell he must have been saying something, but his voice was lost in the din. 

Finally, Double-D raced over to the player and quickly turned down the volume. "Ed! Not so loud!"

"Music cool!" Jen shouted proudly, still obviously skulking around for the Cheezy Chomps.

Jenny was starting to get frustrated. To her, this wasn't working at all. Jen and Ed were bad enough individually, but when around each other, they became almost too much to handle. And there wasn't much time left, with only about another fifteen minutes before the kids were supposed to arrive.


End file.
